Kennedy the Vampire Slayer Season One
by becuzitswrong
Summary: After the Slayer dies, Kennedy gets called. Now she's the official Council-trained Slayer guarding the Hellmouth.
1. Chapter One—The Freshman

**Kennedy the Vampire Slayer, Season 1**

Summary: After the Slayer dies, Kennedy gets called. Now she's the official Council-trained Slayer guarding the Hellmouth.

**Chapter One—The Freshman**

**Disclaimer:** All characters belong to Joss, Mutant Enemy, and Fox. This story is for entertainment purposes only.

**Author's Note:** The Slayer died. As a result, Kennedy was called. Now she's on the Hellmouth, raring to go. Starts concurrent with Season 4, as you can probably tell from the chapter titles, but things will diverge pretty quickly.

Kennedy waited impatiently for her watcher to get to the point. Finally, she exclaimed, "Notty, just give me the damn IDs." Grabbing them from her startled watcher's hand, she looked the driver's license and social security card over. The driver's license was for the state of California and indicated her name was Kennedy Anne Stallings. It also showed her age to be eighteen, two years older than she actually was. "Stallings is okay, but what kind of lame middle name is Anne? What the fuck? And why again can't I be twenty-one? If we're going to the expense of getting fake IDs why not make some that'll do some good and let me have the occasional glass of wine?"

Notty gave her a haughty stare. "Need I remind you, Kennedy, that there isn't a high school to attend or you would be there instead of enrolled at the University of Sunnydale? And as far as the middle name on your IDs is concerned, it was my mother's name, God rest her soul. I would appreciate it if you would stop belittling it."

"Fine. But..."

"No, Kennedy. You have a sacred duty. At the same time, there's the example of Miss Summers' success to go on so I have been instructed to allow you a certain amount of leeway. To attend college. To have friends. But if I believe it is truly interfering with your slaying, I will have to inform the Council. Do I make myself clear?"

Glaring at him balefully, Kennedy snarled, "Crystal."

Notty nodded briskly. "Now, your classes do not start for another two days. So I would like you to start patrolling tonight with the purpose of familiarizing yourself with the campus. There has been increased activity there, while that in the town proper has decreased substantially. Make sure to dress appropriately for a four hour patrol."

"Dress appropriately? When exactly have I dressed inappropriately?" Guiltily, Kennedy remembered the cotillion outfit she'd worn on her second night Slaying. But that wasn't her fault that Notty had discovered a nest the night she was formally presented. Killing those six vampires had completely ruined her dress, too. That was ten grand down the drain.

Notty nodded in acknowledgment. "Only once, true. But a caution is never wasted. Remember too, that you need to focus less on extending the fight and more upon actually slaying the creatures. Thrust and move on. Thrust and move on. Focus on that, and I am sure you will have a splendid after-action report for me."

Kennedy sighed and nodded. "Okay, Notty. You got it. I'll try to avoid beating the crap out of any vamps and just dust 'em. I'm going to change and head out."

"That sounds fine."

Kennedy headed to her room. She shared the one bedroom apartment with her Watcher, Notty, which felt really cramped. She was used to a more lavish life style, having been raised around money. Kennedy was less than impressed with his excuse that the Council had arranged for the apartment. But after being called a few months ago, she had agreed with Notty that the only way for her to be effective was to leave the nest and strike out on her own. Well, with him, that is. Plus it had the added benefit of keeping her family safer.

They had slowly drifted west, allowing her to become acclimated to her abilities. The end goal had always been the Hellmouth. Now she was here, ready to show this town how a real Slayer operated.

She shimmied out of her short dress and threw on some jeans and a short-sleeved black t-shirt. A dark windbreaker went over her shirt. Adding a couple of extra stakes and a cross completed the ensemble and she headed out.

Fortunately, she and Notty lived somewhat close to the Sunnydale campus, so it was a short walk to where she could, hopefully, find some action. But after nearly an hour of wandering around, Kennedy was no closer to finding a vampire than when she started. Then she felt it. A vampire was nearby.

Moving stealthily, Kennedy closed the distance. Her ability to sense vampires and demons was one of her better skills, one she was trying hard to continue to improve. This was one of the things she and Notty agreed on completely. Far better to know where the damn things were, than not to, and maybe become an appetizer.

Hearing a twig snap, Kennedy froze. Then moving with lightning speed, she grabbed the figure that had been lurking in the dark nearby and threw him against a tree. Raising her stake above her head, she struck!

And slammed the stake into the tree, narrowing avoiding staking the _man_ who stood in front of her. His eyes went wide as he registered the near miss.

"Hey! Watch it! You almost stabbed me, you know. Save that for them that deserves it." Her almost-victim spoke with a strong, Irish brogue.

"Maybe you shouldn't be stak... er stabbed, but what were you doing lurking out here? Waiting for some poor girl to come by and then drag her into the bushes?" Kennedy didn't like the looks of the guy. Bright blue eyes looked out a relatively plain face. Short curly hair covered his head. He was about five foot, eight inches tall, with a slight build. He had a flat brimmed hat that had seen better days. Otherwise, he was dressed in a forgettable pair of worn pants, a wide-collared shirt with a sad excuse for a jacket worn over it. All in all, he was pretty unprepossessing. She slipped her stake back into the waistband of her jeans.

He sounded offended. "Hey! I wouldn't do that, lass. Actually, I'm here to help _you_."

"Me? Sorry. I don't think you'd be much help to me."

The man shook his head. "There's help and there's help. I'm here to help you get on your path, Kennedy."

Kennedy's eyes narrowed. Abruptly, she moved, shoving the man back up against the tree. "How do you know my name? What else do you know?"

Despite her action, the man didn't look afraid and continued to gaze at her through blue eyes. He spoke with sincerity, "I know a lot about you, Kennedy. I know for instance about your sacred duty. You're a Slayer and... Achoo!" The man's sneeze shook his entire body. Kennedy started to leap back, grossed out by the cloud of mucus he'd expelled, then stopped, arrested by the sight of spikes shooting out and covering the man's face. Menacingly, she grabbed him by the neck and pulled out her stake again, waving it in his face.

"What are you doing? Let me go!" For the first time, he sounded a little worried, although nowhere near as much as he _should_ sound.

"You're a demon! You're right about me being _the_ Slayer. That's the problem. I slay your kind." Kennedy started to stake him.

"Wait! Let me explain!"

Kennedy stopped. She didn't know what he thought he could say that would dissuade her from slaying him, but she decided to give him a second.

The man didn't immediately speak. Instead he concentrated a moment, shook his head vigorously, and the spikes disappeared, leaving him again human in appearance.

"Nice trick. It won't save you. By the way, what are you?"

"I'm half-Brachen demon, on my father's side. Brachen demons are peaceful. We don't go in for all of that 'send the world into hell' crap. We just try to get by. As for me, like I said, I'm half-Brachen. The spikes only come out when I'm fighting, or when I'm sneezing or something. My hay fever's been bad this summer. I always thought California was supposed to be almost paradise. They don't tell you about how all the green stuff being hell on your sinuses. It's a lot worse than Ireland."

"Cut the crap. Like I believe you're not evil. Give me one reason why I shouldn't slay you?"

"I can give you two. First, I'm a seer and was sent to you by a vision from the Powers That Be. Second, _there's a vampire right behind you!_" With that, his spikes popped out, and he shoved Kennedy away from him with surprising strength. A two by four whistled through the space her skull had occupied just a few seconds before. It narrowly missed the half-demon as well, while the vampire, with supernatural quickness, used the butt end of it to punch him in the stomach, folding him in half and sending him crashing backwards into the bushes.

Kennedy almost lost her footing as she fell backwards, but somehow managed to stay erect. The vampire in question, a tall one who looked like a sad combination between a surfer and a stoner, even to the point of wearing sandals, quickly turned and swung his weapon at her again. She easily dodged the blow and as he turned from its force, gave him a powerful kick to his lower back, making him drop his makeshift club.

"You're going to have to do better than that, blood-breath." Wow, that was sad, she thought. She could do better than that.

"Dude, I'm so stoked. I'm going to bag me a Slayer. And I get to eat you, too. Whoa, Slayer's blood must be like Thai stick."

"Dude? Stoked? I just wanted to let you know that the whole stoner thing? Pretty tacky even when it wasn't completely over. Why don't you people lay off the happy weed and get a damn job? The work ethic in this country sucks. Besides..." Kennedy slapped aside the vamp's powerful punch, and sliding in behind him, drove her stake into his back, dusting him. She finished with, "You're slowing me down from my 'thrust and move on' mission."

Kennedy surveyed the scene. The vamp was dusted. The half-demon was laying in a pile of bushes, wheezing. She extended her senses, concentrating on the feelings Notty had worked so hard with her to master. No more vampires in range. Good. Now she'd deal with her other problem. "Might as well come out, the vamp's dead."

The man slowly scrambled to his feet, holding his ribs. "Sorry, lass, I would've helped ya, but I was trying to see if there were any more of them."

Kennedy eyed him skeptically. "From the bushes?"

He looked embarrassed. "Well, yeah. And I had a wee problem with breathing as well." There were leaves and grass stains all over his clothes that he vainly tried to brush off.

Kennedy decided to take pity on him and tried to help make him more presentable. After all, he had saved her life. Although she was certain that without him there to distract her, she would have been fine. After a moment, though, she gave up making him presentable as a lost cause.

"All right. What's the deal? You said something about the Powers. What are they?" Might as well get down to the heart of the situation, she thought.

"They're a who, not a what. The Powers That Be. Think of them as powerful supernatural entities, mostly neutral in the battle between good and evil. They try to keep things in balance so that nothing gets too out of whack. That being said, evil cheats a lot, so they tend to help the good side a lot. That's where I come in."

"You?" Kennedy knew her tone was doubtful. Powerful supernatural entities working through this guy? How desperate were they?

"Yes, me. I'll have you know that I've done a lot of good in my life. Why this one time... never mind. Let's focus on the now, lass. Anyhow, they gave me visions so that I can help people. I try to make sure they do what's needed and maybe help them to get on their path. That's why I'm here. I saw this group of vampires, led by this blonde lass, quite fetching she was, that's been killing students over the past few years. I figure I'll tell you where they are and you can take care of them. How's that sound?"

"Sounds like I'll be doing all of the work, while you're reaping the credit. That's how it sounds. Luckily, I'm a sucker for a sob story."

"I didn't tell you any sob stories." The man looked puzzled.

Kennedy nodded. "Uh huh. Your whole wardrobe reads like a sob story. Hence the pity." Taking the man's arm, Kennedy walked him along. "Now tell me more about where these vampires are..."

* * *

Sunday paced impatiently, waiting for Skels to get back. The rest of her minions watched her apprehensively. While she was far more likely to use sarcasm than violence, no one could lead a group of vampires without occasionally needing to make an example. Which she planned to do with Skels.

"Where is he? That stupid stoner. I knew better than to put him in charge of getting dinner."

Sally, sitting fat and indolent on a bean bag nearby, snarked, "I thought you sent him because he's the most expendable."

Sunday stared at her coldly. "No, that would be you. Whoever heard of a fat vampire? It's sad and unnatural. I think you need to go on a diet."

Sally, alarmed, quickly capitulated. "I didn't mean anything. Sheesh, Sunday, lighten up."

"I'll lighten up when Skels comes back without a bag full of 'ganja, mon.' I really need to get myself some better minions."

Just then, there was a loud knock on the door. A man's voice said, "Pizza!"

Sally jumped up. "Sweet! I haven't had a pizza driver in a long time."

Sunday rolled her eyes. "That's because they don't come out here anymore after you ate the last four. Jimmy, go see who's there. Be careful."

Sally pouted. "Well, he could be new. Hey, maybe that's why Skels is late. He ordered delivery."

Jimmy opened the door. Visible in the doorway was a short, nondescript man holding a pizza box, which he pushed into Jimmy's hands. Stepping past him, the man came inside. "You owe me 22.85 for the pizza."

Jimmy turned towards the man. "Hey, we didn't order any pizza. We ain't paying you jack."

Sunday watched the man as he scratched his head, looking puzzled. "This isn't 1411 Pinemont?"

Sally volunteered. "No, it's 1415."

The man looked relieved. "Oh, that's okay then. Well, just give me back the pizza and I'll be on my way."

Jimmy scowled. "I don't think so. I think you should stay for dinner."

"Sorry, I can't, gotta run."

"You aren't going..." That was all he got out before he exploded into dust. The box fell to the floor. Behind the cloud of dust stood a girl holding a stake.

Sunday snarled. "Who are you?"

The girl looked at her pityingly. "Me? I'm Kennedy. The Vampire Slayer. Now where would you be going?" Throwing her stake like a missile, she dusted Andy before he got two feet, leaving just the four of them in the room.

"I heard the Slayer was blonde," Sally said, before realizing that she had just attracted said Slayer's attention.

"Do I look like a blonde? Wow, look at you. You're a fat one. That's pretty rare in a vamp. You know, Sunday, isn't it? You really should focus on quality not quantity when it comes to minions. Even if tubby here is as big as two normal vamps."

"Screw you! I'm going to..." That was all Sally got out before she was stabbed in the back by the pizza man.

As her dust settled to the ground, Sunday realized that she was alone with Kennedy. With the Slayer. She had always dreamed of killing the Slayer, but as long as she stayed away from her hunting grounds, Sunday hadn't gone hunting her. That would have been unnecessarily stupid. Sunday wasn't an old vampire, but she had always considered herself a smart one. Now she was a smart one in serious trouble.

Kennedy sauntered around the room, never taking her eyes off Sunday. There was something extraordinarily menacing about her casual stroll. But then that might have been the stake she had produced from seemingly nowhere. "Well, well, well. Look at all of this stuff. What are you? Packrats? Where did all of this come from?"

Sunday snapped, "Our victims."

Kennedy looked amazed. "Seriously? So you not only kill them, but you rob them? Of posters and boomboxes? That's so... petty. I guess I should have expected something like that of someone named after a day of the week. Sunday's not exactly the classiest name there is, you know?" Her walk was slowly turning into a narrowing circle, its center on Sunday.

"Like Kennedy is? I'm going to kill you and pizza boy, too." Sunday moved in a circle counter to the one that the Slayer paced. She had already decided that if she could get to the door, she was making a break for it. The effortless way that Kennedy and the other man had dealt with her minions chilled Sunday to the bone. She'd always imagined that if the day came when she took on the Slayer, she would kick her ass, while quipping about her clothes. Staring into the cold eyes of the predator watching her from just a few feet away, Sunday didn't feel the least like making a joke. Death was in those eyes.

"Well, considering there was a president named Kennedy, I beg to disagree." With that, Kennedy stopped moving. Sunday noted with despairing eyes that Kennedy still stood between her and the door.

"You didn't think I was going to let you escape, did you? I wasn't Called yesterday, you know." With that, the Slayer attacked with blurring speed!

Sunday blocked the first punch, got caught by the second, managing to get one of her own in. The hammer blow she struck knocked the shorter girl off her feet. Unfortunately, Kennedy flipped herself back to her feet effortlessly before Sunday could take advantage. Her return kick a half-second later nearly took Sunday's head off and knocked her off her feet. She managed to catch the next kick from Kennedy while still on her knees and flip the girl sideways over a couch. Sunday took the opportunity to make a break for it.

The pizza guy blocked her way with an upheld cross. Instinctively shying back from the holy object, Sunday was grabbed from behind and thrown right through a changing screen with a nature scene painted on it. As she lay there dazed, Sunday thought, I always liked that scene. Then she was picked up and slammed down across something hard and unyielding, snapping her spine.

As Sunday lay there, paralyzed, a movement above her caught her eye. The Slayer stood there holding a stake. "You know, if you weren't a vamp, I could seriously go for you. Your look is a nice balance between butch and feminine. It really floats my boat, if you know what I mean? I would have made you scream. Unfortunately..." With that the Slayer moved, the stake flashing down faster than Sunday's eyes could follow. Then everything went black.

Kennedy dusted her hands as she got up from the pile of ash that used to be a vampire. Looking around, she tried to sense if there were any more vampires nearby. Nope. So she had probably gotten them all, based upon the conversation she had overheard before she had moved in.

"I still think that you should have gone in first."

Kennedy turned and look at him. "It worked didn't it? I needed a distraction. By the way, nice work dusting Kirstie Alley there. That was impressive. She never even saw you coming."

The man's face brightened. "Yes it was, wasn't it? Lass, you did good."

"No more visions?"

The man shook his head. "Not just yet. You never know though when one'll hit." He hesitated, then asked diffidently, "What you said to Sunday? About going for her? Was that just a bit to taunt her?"

Kennedy rolled her eyes. He definitely was a guy. Only a guy would bring up a crack like that. "No, I said it because I like girls. I'm not into the whole butch, biker scene. But I also don't like them too sweet. Too much sugar gives me a toothache."

"Ahh, I see. Well, I'm not one to judge, you know? If you're attracted to girls that's your own business. I just think it's interesting..."

"Can it."

"All right. I guess we should go."

Kennedy nodded and started to leave. Then halted at his next question.

"Who does all of this stuff belong to?"

She responded, "It's probably how they disposed of their victims. Kill them, pack up their stuff, maybe leave a note, and no one thinks anything about a missing college student. If they do, it's assumed they left on their own."

"Diabolical. Hey, you don't think anyone would mind if I helped myself to..." The man gestured towards the masses of crap clogging the room.

"Doubtful. Knock yourself out. Take my advice though, and focus on your wardrobe."

The man, who had been examining a large boombox, looked at her. "What's wrong with me clothes?"

Kennedy scoffed. "What isn't? At the very least, lose the hat. It just cries out 'street trash.'"

"Hey!" The man looked offended, then shook his head. He started gathering up things and soon had a pile to take off with him. Despairingly, Kennedy noticed there weren't any clothes there at all.

"Lass, if you wouldn't mind carrying this box for me? Oh, and if you weren't going to eat that pizza, maybe stack that on top?" At her nod, the man grabbed the other box and they headed out. They walked for a while in silence. Finally, she saw that they were heading towards the bus station. So demon-boy doesn't have a car, she thought in disdain. Setting her box down, Kennedy watched while he retrieved a bag from a nearby locker.

"So what now?" Kennedy had been giving the situation a lot of thought. She could use someone with the man's abilities. His visions would be helpful and even better, he hadn't shied away from getting down and dirty when it counted. And her watcher had encouraged her to start thinking about who could be useful to their mission here.

"I have to head to Los Angeles. There's... someone who needs my help. Going to miss me?" His smile was a near-leer, but harmless.

"I wouldn't say that. But I was thinking. I could use someone like you. Those visions could come in pretty handy. And you don't seem the type to shy away from a fight."

"Well, I kinda have my hands full right now, lass. But I'll think over your offer."

They stood and made small talk for another few minutes. Then the man said, "There's me bus. It was nice to meet you, Kennedy. I hope to see you again." With that he started to board.

"Wait. You never told me your name. Who are you?"

The man stopped and gave her a look full of mischief. "Let's just say I'm a friend."

Kennedy frowned. So, he wanted to play it that way, did he? "What if I don't want a friend?"

The man laughed and turned away. His closing words drifted to Kennedy on the wind. "I didn't say I was yours..."

* * *

Kennedy walked back slowly. She'd dealt with another two vamps on the way, neither of which had been the slightest challenge. She was feeling the presence of yet another vampire nearby, when she heard the sounds of a scuffle. Moving fast, Kennedy headed that way.

Rounding the corner, Kennedy saw a short girl, cussing and spitting, being held in place by a vampire, who was leaning in for the bite. He had just gotten his teeth in, when Kennedy barreled into them, sending all three of them sprawling.

She rolled and came back to her feet just in time to block the vampire's first punch. Kennedy slipped his second and as he was carried past her by the momentum of his blow, kicked him in the knee, tearing his ACL and displacing his kneecap. The vampire went down, howling in anger. Kennedy jumped on top of him, planning to stake him right then and there, when he caught her hands and flipped her over his head. She hit the ground on her back with a thud, knocking the breath out of her.

Kennedy got to her feet just in time to meet the vampire's wild haymaker that put her right back down again. As she lay there dazed, she took several kicks. Kicks that would have been a lot harder if the vampire had a good leg to plant his weight on when swinging the other. Kennedy curled up into a ball, trying to escape the blows. Then the vampire was astride her, punching her in the face. She managed to block most of the blows with her arms, and slipped a couple that went through. Still, she took two more that rang her bell.

Kennedy was starting to think that her career might be shorter than she'd ever imagined when the vampire suddenly shouted and stood up. As he spun away, Kennedy caught a glimpse of the girl she had saved. She was holding a switchblade knife, its blade covered in blood. There was a look of fear on her face as the vampire moved towards her.

Kennedy stumbled to her feet, bruises and aches permeating her entire body. Damn, I hurt, she thought. Luckily, with the pain came an answering surge of anger. It carried her through driving her stake into the vamp's back and into his undead heart. She coughed as she breathed in part of the resulting cloud of ashes. Still coughing, Kennedy looked for the victim.

"What the fuck was that? Did you see that? I stabbed that motherfucker right in the heart! I _know_ I did. He barely noticed it! What the fuck's going on?"

Kennedy knew just how she felt. The first time she had seen a vampire was when she was twelve. Notty had taken her out of the Westchester house for an outing. What he hadn't done was warn her that he was taking her out to slay her first vampire. A vampire that he had already captured and drugged, making it little more difficult to kill than an ordinary person. Still, Kennedy had been small for her age. That, coupled with the surprise, had nearly done her in. But in the end, she had won.

Staring at the man who had been her tutor through the slowly dispersing cloud of ashes, Kennedy had known her life was never going to be the same. She'd known it even before he'd starting explaining her destiny. Of course, his explanation had made it clear just why he had her doing so much karate and judo. She had enjoyed the physical aspect of her studies, which had been a nice contrast to previous tutors who had focused on etiquette. The only physical activity her previous tutors had countenanced was riding, since every young lady needed to be able to ride in the Hunt, even if they rarely killed the foxes they hunted anymore.

The next few months had passed by in a whirlwind. Kennedy had enjoyed knowing she was special. The only thing that had sucked was knowing that there was one person even more special than her: the current Slayer. Not that Kennedy wished she would die so that she could become the Slayer in her place. But she did hope that if something _did_ happen, she would be Chosen. More time passed. Years. Finally, her chance came to be special. To be Chosen.

Waking up in a blaze of energy, she blurred through the day, not slowing down the slightest despite Notty's admonishments to be discreet. Kennedy had been thrilled with the sensation of speed and power, of having senses that noted every sight, sound, smell, and sensation of her new world. Then she'd had the first dream.

Shortly after being Chosen, Kennedy had her first Slayer dream. She'd dreamed fighting a huge multi-headed creature emerging from a hole in the floor of what looked like a library. Others had been around her, helping. The thing had eventually been driven back, but only after vicious fighting and heroics on the part of all involved. She'd told Notty of the dream. He'd informed her that it was a dream of the past. All Slayers had them occasionally. She wasn't to worry about it, but to tell him if she had any more. Which she had. Several more. Almost nightly. Ultimately, Notty had decided that they were needed on the Hellmouth. Which seemed to be a good choice since she hadn't had a single nightmare since.

"Earth to crazy bitch. You there?"

Kennedy looked up, startled. She had been so lost in her thoughts, that a vampire would have killed her and she would have never noticed. Then again, maybe not, since they made her guts cramp worse than her period. "What did you call me?"

The girl flinched slightly at Kennedy's growl. But didn't stop her from saying, "I want to know what's going on. What was that thing? Why didn't it die when I stabbed it?"

Kennedy eyed the girl. There was something a little off about her, but whatever it was, Kennedy could pin it down. She was about three or four inches shorter than Kennedy, about five fee two inches tall. Short blonde hair framed a round face dominated by huge dark eyes and a sensuous, pouty mouth. She was more sexy than pretty. Not Kennedy's type, but good for a one nighter maybe. From the cool look she was giving Kennedy back, the girl didn't swing her way, though. Too bad. "I'm Kennedy. That was a vampire."

The girl frowned and shook her head. "No way! Vampires aren't real."

Kennedy frowned. "If you believe that after what you just saw, you're a moron. Look, bitch, th..."

The girl interrupted, "The name's Veruca."

"Whatever. Listen, vampires are real. So are demons. So you need to watch out. I won't always be around to save you like I was tonight."

At Kennedy's reminder that she had just saved her life, the girl looked embarrassed. "Hey, sorry about the 'tude. I was just freaked out. You saved my life. I don't think I would have been able to get away. He was too strong. The funny thing is I knew there was something off about him. He smelled weird."

Now it was Kennedy's turn to feel embarrassed. "Well, you saved my life too. If you hadn't stabbed him, I'm not sure I could've gotten him."

"How did you?"

"How did I what?"

"How were you able to fight that thing? It was stronger than hell. And you were doing pretty good until he got a lucky shot in."

"I... ah... that is..."

Veruca's eyes narrowed. "Don't go all secret identity on me, Kennedy. If you're some kind of vampire or demon, too..."

"I'm not! I mean, I'm not a vampire or demon. I'm the Slayer."

"What's a 'Slayer?'"

"It's a long story. Let me buy you a cup of coffee and I'll fill you in."

"Sure. I don't plan to sleep much tonight anyway. I'll probably have nightmares."

* * *

"...so that's how I became the Slayer."

"Cool. So you're stronger, faster, and all around nastier than a vampire?"

Kennedy shrugged. "Most of them. Not all. Some of the older ones are pretty tough. But most of them are just annoying little shits unless they get a lucky shot in. Like tonight."

"Do you live here in town?"

"I just moved here with my Watcher. Right now I'm staying with him. I start UC Sunnydale next Monday. Kinda a combination of a cover and an actual education."

"You live with some old guy? That's gotta suck. It's going to be hard to party with him cramping your style."

"Well, it's not like I know anyone else. It's not permanent. I'll move out eventually, and find myself a place." Kennedy didn't like that she sounded defensive as she said it. Besides, Notty wouldn't be letting her out of his sight anytime soon.

"How about now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Look, I go to UC Sunndale. I'm a sophomore. I have an apartment just two blocks from campus. The problem is, my roommate just took off. She was going to summer school to make up a couple of classes she had failed."

"What happened?"

"She failed those, too. Too busy drinking and screwing to study. So I need a roommate badly. The band gig is cool, but barely pays half the bills, you dig?"

"Sure, I got it. I'm not sure about moving in with you, though. I need to see the apartment."

"Too worried it won't be blue enough for your blood?" Veruca asked mockingly.

Angry, Kennedy asked, "What the fuck does that mean?"

"I can tell you're a snob. You didn't say where you're from, but you sound like you're from back east somewhere. Probably one of those 'debutantes.' Am I right?"

Kennedy refused to tell Veruca how close her gibe was to reality. What does it matter if the apartment's a shithole, she asked herself? It's close to campus and convenient for Slaying. What more could you want?

"You're wrong. I'm taking you up on your offer. I'll move in tomorrow."

Veruca eyes glowed. "Great. We do have to set some ground rules, first."

Kennedy was puzzled. "What ground rules?"

"Actually, only one. I don't care who you bring in or what you do. None of my business. You'll do the same for me. But you need to know that I'm straight. I'm not into girls so don't give me any more looks."

Chagrined, Kennedy asked, "It was that obvious?"

Veruca nodded. "You looked at me like you wondered what I'd taste like. And not in a vampire kind of way. So, as long as that's clear, I'm cool with whatever else you do."

"It's clear. You're not my type anyway."

Slightly curious, Veruca asked, "Exactly what is you type?"

"My ideal girl is my height, slim and fit, a little butch, but who still likes to dress like a girl. Not too busty, cuz more than a mouthful's wasted 'n all. I like her to have long red or light brown hair. Her eyes should be toffee-colored. As far as her personality, it should be a little take-charge so that I don't have to worry about dominating her."

Amused, Veruca smiled. "You're right. That's not me. Kinda particular, aren't you?"

"Exactly. What's the address so that I know where to go."

"The address is 2107 University Way, apartment 207. Just come on in when you get there."

"Okay, I'll do that..."

* * *

"So that's the jist of it, Notty. What do you think?"

Her watcher nodded thoughtfully. "He's right about Brachens. The Council has never had to send a Slayer after them. They tend to mind their own business and keep out of trouble. He didn't say if he were coming back, did he?"

"No, he just said he had to help someone in LA. I don't know if he'll be back."

"Too bad. He would make a good first addition to your team."

Impatiently, Kennedy shook her head. "I'm not going to make friends just with people who are useful. That's not what I'm supposed to be doing and you know it."

Unperturbed by Kennedy's outburst, Notty shrugged. "I don't see why the people who end up being part of whatever group you form cannot be both your friends and helpful to our cause."

"Life's not like that."

"Perhaps. Perhaps not. Only time will tell. Did you have anything else, Kennedy?"

"One more thing. The girl, Veruca Sanderson?"

"Yes?"

"She invited me to be her roommate. She has an apartment near campus. I told her I would."

Notty looked confused. "Told her you would what?"

"I told her I would move in with her."

Notty shook his head. "I forbid it."

Kennedy's eyes darkened. "You what?"

"I... look, Kennedy, no matter what that piece of plastic I gave you says, you are only sixteen years old. You are not an adult. While I am not your legal guardian, I am responsible for you. I take this responsibility seriously."

"I've been taking care of myself since I was a kid, Notty. You know that better than most. My parents have been absentee to say the least. It's not like I'm moving across the country. It's only about fifteen blocks from here. But it's fifteen blocks closer to campus, you know? Besides, this shitty little one bedroom just isn't cutting it. I know you said I could have the bedroom, but my stuff just fit. Anyway, my mind's made up."

He studied her carefully. She wasn't sure what he saw, but after a moment he sighed and acquiesced. "All right, Kennedy, I won't interfere. I just wish you would be careful. This 'Veruca' is just a normal girl. Knife or no knife, she is not prepared to deal with the realities of your life. Keep her as much out of it as you can. Will you promise to do that?"

"Sure, Notty. I promise. Look, there's not going to be any problem..."


	2. Chapter Two—Living Conditions

**Chapter Two—Living Conditions**

"Well, that's all of it." Kennedy smiled with satisfaction as she broke down the last box.

"I can't believe how much crap you have." Veruca looked over Kennedy's room as she said it.

"What can I say? When you have money, you tend to buy a lot of things you don't really need. You buy them anyway because you figure you might find a use for them."

"Well, there's at least one thing you have that I'm glad about." With that, Veruca headed back into the living room and settled onto the big overstuffed leather couch that Kennedy had bought, turning on the 50" plasma TV.

When Kennedy had decided to move in with Veruca, she had feared the apartment would be a real shithole. It had turned out to be far from it. The apartment complex was a little older than most, but that just meant the apartment was actually big enough to live in versus some of the boxes they were making these days. For an older apartment complex, it was well maintained. And the best thing about it was that each of the girls had their own bathroom, so there would be no fights over who got to use it first thing in the morning. All in all, Kennedy was satisfied.

Of course, if the apartment was cool, the décor wasn't. Veruca used milk crates for a coffee table and the ancient lumpy sofa that had originally been there looked like it had come from a flea market. That had all changed. With the wave of her magic wand, in the form of her family credit card, Kennedy had wrought changes everywhere. There was the new leather sofa, two leather recliners, a set of two end and one coffee tables, new lamps, a new dinette set, and a new rack for the stereo equipment that Veruca already had. She'd also furnished her bedroom similarly, with an inexpensive chest of drawers, a dresser, a couple of night tables, and one queen-sized bed. The plasma TV adorning one end of the living room completed Kennedy's purchases.

All told, she had spent less on all of this stuff than she'd spent on a single dress in the past, even including the plasma TV. Kennedy had always been a bit of a snob when it came to buying things, a consequence of having wealth. She had actually been shocked that there wasn't a Filene's close enough to shop at and she had to settle for a Rooms To Go. Still, if the items weren't exactly things she would want in her house, they were definitely of high enough quality to last her the next few years. Actually, she thought morosely, the couch'll probably last longer than she would survive as the Slayer.

Well, the apartment was now livable. And classes started tomorrow. She would do a short patrol tonight, and get plenty of rest. Kennedy hit her room, changing quickly, then headed out to patrol. As she passed Veruca, she saw her eyes were closed. The girl wasn't asleep, and her breathing was odd. Oh well, Kennedy thought, she's probably just doing some silly meditation...

* * *

Veruca lay on the couch with her eyes closed. It was at times like this, that she could truly appreciate the sensuous feel of leather against her skin. It just felt more alive than cloth or vinyl. Veruca could feel the moon, pulling on her as easily as it did the tides. All of her senses felt sharper, her sense of smell especially. She knew now that was how she'd known there was something off about that guy from last night. She should have trusted her instincts. Of course if she had run into him tonight, the vampire would have come off a poor second.

She would become the Wolf tonight and for the next two nights. She would run free and do whatever her dark heart desired. It was a wild and feral feeling and one that drew her in again and again. For a brief moment, Veruca felt guilt as she imagined what Kennedy would say. After all, the younger girl had saved her life and in some cultures, that made her responsible for Veruca. But she couldn't resist that siren call. Not now, not so close to the moon's rising.

Getting up, Veruca went into her room and changed into something that she didn't care about getting destroyed. Barefoot, she walked across the apartment and out the door. Hiding a key where she could find it, she headed off into the night. About to change, she was fearless. After all, it was whoever or whatever she met tonight that needed to be afraid...

* * *

Kennedy watched the girl that she _knew_ was a demon walk across campus. She was following her slowly, staying just far enough back to be able to keep the creature in sight. As soon as she got someplace where there weren't any students around, she was going to take the opportunity to put her theory to the test.

Kennedy had spotted her while she was getting coffee. The girl, who had annoyed one person after another in line with her cheerful, inane chatter, had sent Kennedy's Slayer sense off the scale. She was definitely evil, even ignoring the fuzzy little sweater she wore. Her short, dark curly hair closely resembled horns to Kennedy's prejudiced eyes.

Following her, Kennedy wondered if she had been spotted when she saw the girl stop, stiffen, and look around herself. But, after a moment of standing still, she realized it wasn't her that the girl had sensed. With a growl, something leaped out of the bushes towards the girl!

At first, Kennedy wasn't sure what the thing was. Notty had gone over most of the common demons she might encounter here in Sunnydale, but the thing wasn't one of them. Powerfully built, it had a thick coat of shaggy fur. It ran on all four limbs, each of which was tipped with sharp, powerful claws. The face was almost like a baboon's, but the jaws were wider, more powerful, and filled with more and sharper teeth than any terrestrial animal's.

After its initial lunge forward, it had stopped. Scenting the air, it seemed to not like what it smelled. The creature growled, then hesitated as the girl it faced growled right back at it, her face a mask of rage. Then she shouted something in some kind of guttural language. After a moment, the creature moved back, never taking its eyes off of the girl. When it was a little further away, it broke back into a run.

Kennedy watched, torn between which one to follow. The girl didn't appear threatening, but was definitely evil. Still, whatever she was up to didn't appear to lead to immediate mayhem, while the other creature was a mauling waiting to happen. Making a quick decision, Kennedy followed the baboon creature, moving as fast as she could. Behind her, the girl she had been following smiled and quickly left...

Okay, this damn thing moves fast, Kennedy noted thoughtfully, as she ran. She'd been running full out for more than five minutes and had covered over two miles. At first, it had headed in the opposite direction to the one where the girl had gone, then gradually it had curved around towards its original course, which took it back onto the campus, moving towards student housing. It had just run around a building that Kennedy thought might house the Psych Department, when she lost it. Looking around for a moment, Kennedy tried to sense it, but had no luck. Then she heard the sound of heels on pavement. Figuring that if she could hear it, so could the creature, Kennedy moved towards the sound.

She saw an older woman, dressed in a business suit, walking briskly along towards the parking area. Then, in the bushes nearby, Kennedy saw the creature lying in wait.

She ran forward, just as the creature lurched forward. The woman, with minimal fear, tried to shoo the creature away. Then it launched itself at her!

Kennedy had already arrived, however, and tackled the woman, pushing her out of the way of the creature. It landed where the woman had been, and snarling, prepared to leap again. Kennedy scrambled back to her feet, stepped forward and kicked it squarely in the jaw. In a move that would have made any punter weep in envy, she planted her left foot, while her right foot flashed upwards until it intercepted the creature right at the point of its jaw and hit with thunderous force.

She thought that without her steel-toed boots, her foot might have been broken. The creature spun head over heels back into the bushes. Kennedy was just about to jump in after it and finish it, when she heard a voice at her back. "Young woman, where did that animal go?"

Turning back towards the older woman, Kennedy saw that she had gotten up and was brushing herself off, doing a much better job of it than the half-Brachen demon from the other night. Cool, intelligent eyes studied Kennedy, making her feel curiously inadequate. "Err... I'm not sure. It ran off in that direction when I kicked it."

"Well, I'll be sure to file a report with campus security first thing in the morning. Imagine, feral dogs running around campus. That thing was enormous. I'm not sure what would have happened if you hadn't come along. I'm Dr. Maggie Walsh, by the way. I teach psychology here."

"Kennedy Stallings, I'm a student here. Freshman, actually. You teach psychology? That's a coincidence, I'm taking Psych 105."

"Then you'll be one of my students. Miss Stallings, I don't play favorites. You'll have to work just as hard as any student. But if you have any questions, please do feel free to visit me during my office hours. Thanks again. Now I must be off. And so should you. You have my class at 9:00 am, and I don't tolerate tardiness. Good night."

Kennedy had barely had time to echo Dr. Walsh's good night, when she was off, resuming her brisk stride as she left. Okay, that sucked, she thought. I nearly outed myself as the Slayer to one of my own professors. Notty would kill her if that happened.

Worse, she didn't have anything to show for tonight's patrol. Both the evil girl and the baboon creature had gotten away. Kennedy quickly decided to head over to Notty's and make him earn his Watcher's salary. Hopefully, he would have some idea of what she was dealing with...

* * *

"I'm sorry, Kennedy, but I don't have the least idea of what the girl could be. Any number of demons can assume some kind of human form, not even including those that possess humans. For all we know, she's completely human and is a witch or some other form of magic user."

"Thanks, Notty, you're a big help. Not."

"I'm terribly sorry, Kennedy. But I need more to go on than she set off your slayer senses and was dressed in a 'fuzzy' sweater. Now about the other matter."

"I hope you have more for me there."

"Yes, I believe I can. Is this the creature?" Notty opened the book he was holding to a place he'd marked previously. Kennedy looked over a picture that almost exactly resembled the creature she'd seen.

"That's it, Notty. Looks like you're batting five hundred. Not too shabby."

"Well, baseball references aside, what you ran into tonight was a werewolf."

"Seriously? It didn't exactly look like a wolf. More like a quashed dog-baboon hybrid. Are you sure it's a werewolf?"

"Quite sure. Now, do you have any more information about where the werewolf came from or where it might have gone?"

"Sorry, but I don't."

"Well, you'll have two more chances to find it."

"What?"

Notty nodded. "It's going to change the next two nights. Since whoever it is either doesn't know that they're a werewolf or doesn't care, you can probably expect them to be out again tomorrow night and again the night after. If you don't find them by then, you'll have to wait until the next full moon in four weeks."

"Well, we wouldn't want that. Don't worry. I'll find him. And I'll find that girl, too."

"See that you do. Now let me give you a bit more information on werewolves just in case you need it." With that he went over werewolf lore for the next thirty minutes, until he'd exhausted the subject. Finally, he wound down.

Kennedy started to head out, when Notty spoke again. "Kennedy?"

"What?"

"I appreciate you stopping by and informing me of how your patrol went. I was... ahhh..." He stammered a bit.

Kennedy grinned. "You were worried about me. It's cool."

He stiffened. "Certainly not. I was just concerned that you wouldn't be able to make the best use of your Slayer abilities. That's all."

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow, Notty." With that, Kennedy left. She felt a warm feeling at her Watcher's words. He really was a nice man when he forgot he had a stick up his ass.

* * *

As Kennedy walked up the steps to her apartment, she was smiling. Just as she was about to turn in to her apartment, the door opposite opened. A young man a few years older than herself walked out. Spotting her, he gave her a quick onceover and smiled, apparently liking what he saw. "Hi, there. I haven't seen you here before, have I?"

Kennedy wasn't really interested, but decided to be friendly. "No, you haven't. I'm Kennedy Stallings, Veruca's new roommate."

"I'm Warren. Warren Mears. I go to UC Sunnydale. You?"

"I start tomorrow. I'm a freshman."

He looked relieved. "Whew. For a second there, I thought you were still in high school. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but then I wouldn't be able to hang out with you at the Bronze."

Kennedy grinned. He seemed nice. "Is that a rule?"

"Yep. Unwritten, but it's one of the most important. So, how about it?"

"About what?"

"Want to go hang out at the Bronze with me?"

Kennedy shook her head. "Sorry, but I've got class tomorrow at 8:00 am. Plus, I just met my Psych prof. Talk about scary. The last thing I want to be is either tardy or a no-show. Besides, it wouldn't be good for your chances if I was there."

Warren's smile dimmed slightly, then grew puzzled. "Err... why's that?"

"We'd both be competing for the same girls. And no offense, Warren, but I'm much better looking that you." For a second, Kennedy thought she'd pushed things too far, too fast and pissed him off. But after giving Kennedy an appreciative look, Warren starting laughing and after a second Kennedy joined in.

"You keep thinking that, babe. We'll have to get together soon and see who does better. Nice to meet you." With that he took off.

So far, Warren appeared to be an okay guy. She was glad to have some cool neighbors.

"Veruca, I'm back. You here?" Kennedy called. After she didn't get an answer, she shrugged and headed off to go to bed. Tomorrow would be another day.

* * *

Veruca woke up out in the forest. Damn, she hurt. This was by far the worst she'd ever felt after a night as the Wolf. Her jaw especially hurt. Probing it lightly, she found it sore and swollen. For an injury to hang around after she transformed back, it must have been pretty bad. Somehow, Veruca doubted a person had done this. It was far more likely she'd attacked something else, like one of the demons or vampires that Kennedy had told her about.

Shit! Kennedy! She would be getting up soon. Unless Veruca wanted an inquisition, she'd better be there when Kennedy got up. Hurriedly she got to her feet and moved off. She had over a mile to go before she got to where she had a stash of clothes. She'd better jog, painful muscles or no painful muscles...

Quickly, she let herself in. Good, Kennedy wasn't up yet. Veruca slipped into her room. The first thing she was going to do was take a shower. Then she was sleeping for another four hours, class or no class. Although, actually, she didn't have a class until 11:00 am, something she'd planned with the Wolf in mind. Just as she got naked, there was a knock on her door.

Grabbing her robe, Veruca threw it on. Opening the door, she saw Kennedy, looking disgustingly awake. "Hey, what's up?"

Kennedy smiled. "Just wanted to make sure you were okay. I heard you come in just now. Everything cool?"

Shit! Kennedy had Slayer senses. Veruca had forgotten about that. It was going to make things a lot more complicated. Thinking quickly, Veruca blurted, "I was with this guy. What a waste of a night. You know?"

Kennedy seemed taken aback and just for a second looked far younger than her eighteen years. Then she smiled and said, "Sure, sure. I know the feeling. Wow, that's some bruise you've got."

Veruca was taken aback. "What bruise?"

"You didn't know? Looks like you got punched in the jaw. This guy you hooked up with didn't hit you, did he?" This last said in a suspicious tone.

Veruca nearly panicked. "No, no. I think I may have fallen at some point. I'm kinda out of it. I drank a bit too much last night."

"Ahh, well, okay. Look, I'll talk to you later." With that, she turned around and left.

Veruca sank onto the floor with the door at her back. Oh God, she wished she could control the Wolf. Lock herself inside tonight. Avoid any chance of hurting someone. But even as she thought it, Veruca knew she wouldn't. The call of the wild was too strong. The urge to run wild, to hunt, was too overwhelming. What was she going to do?

* * *

Kennedy sat near the back of the class, listening to Professor Walsh. She was even tougher in a group setting, Kennedy thought in amusement as Walsh hammered out her speech about being called the Evil Bitch Monster of Death. It was less amusing when she started talking about all of the work she assigned, but Kennedy wasn't too worried. Somehow she doubted that a public institution of learning would be as tough as either of her last two tutors, not even including Notty, who was in a class by himself.

As the class continued, Kennedy took notes. It was odd being in a classroom setting after all these years. Kennedy had learned from private tutors all her life, her only playmates the children of servants or those other individuals who matched her family's social standing. Still it was interesting watching how everyone scrambled to keep up with their note-taking as Professor Walsh rattled on.

After class, Kennedy headed out past the beefcake Walsh had as a TA. Not that she swung that way, and he was kinda old for her, but those muscles were certainly impressive. Just as she got to the door, a voice called her back. "Kennedy!"

Turning, Kennedy saw Professor Walsh looking at her. "Yes, ma'am?"

"Please, call me Maggie. I wanted to thank you again. And to introduce you to Riley Finn, my teaching assistant. Riley, this is Kennedy Stallings. Keep an eye on her, I'm sure she'll do great things in class."

The man who stood next to Walsh smiled and said, "It's nice to meet you, Kennedy. The professor told me how you ran off that dog last night. It was very brave."

Kennedy shrugged, uncomfortable. "It was just a dog. I just pretended I was kicking off for Notre Dame when I kicked it."

Riley's eyes gleamed with pleasure. "Are you a football fan?"

With a grin, Kennedy said, "Only of college football. I think they try a lot harder than the pros. Well, I gotta book. I have Bio in exactly four minutes."

Riley nodded. "Well, it was nice to meet you."

Kennedy said, "Nice to meet you as well. See you later, err...Maggie."

"Have a productive day, Kennedy."

Kennedy somehow held in a laugh as she walked off. Productive day? Was she for real? Be cool, Kennedy, she told herself. The woman probably means well.

* * *

Kennedy groaned as she walked back to her apartment. Okay, that's what she got for underestimating the public educational system. After psychology, the classes had come fast. Only P.E. had been any kind of relief. The low point in her day had been when that dick of a prof in her Pop Culture class yelled at some poor girl. It had been all she could do not to get up and kick his ass. Somehow, she'd managed, though it had left her in a bad mood all day.

As she trudged up the stairs, Kennedy saw Warren just ahead of her. "Hey, Warren."

He turned. "Hey, Kennedy. How was your first day?"

Kennedy shrugged. "Well, I survived it. Actually, it wasn't too bad. Not enough cute girls, and too many jerky profs, though."

He grinned. "Well, that's about as succinct a description of college as I've heard."

"How was your day?"

Warren's eyes glowed with excitement. "I had the greatest day ever. I think I just solved the biggest issue I've been facing in my robotics work. I figured out a chip configuration that'll allow me to stack multiple Intel chips, using them in parallel, rather than series. I'll be able to..."

"Make use of the entire processing power of all of the chips together, even possibly increase it beyond that."

He looked astonished and pleased. "How did you know?"

"I'm not just another pretty face, Warren. Actually, I enjoy computers. I'm not as into them as some I know, but I like surfing the net and reading about what they're doing with them. That's cutting edge work though. I didn't think UC Sunnydale supported that kind of research."

"They don't. I'm working on it as a side project. I pretty much ace my classes. They're all easy. Even that whack job Walsh couldn't dent my GPA, not that she didn't try. Anyway, I've got on far as I can go with robotics in class here or pretty much anywhere outside of NASA or MIT. So I take the occasional class, so I have access to the computer systems, while I work on my other projects. If you want, I can show you sometime."

"I'll take a rain check on it, but some other time, sure. Hey, have you seen Veruca today?"

Warren shrugged. "Yeah, I saw her three or four hours ago. She was off to class I think. Who punched her, anyway?"

Kennedy's look sharpened. "It look like she got punched?"

"Yeah, I mean, I'm no expert, but I did do a summer as an orderly at Sunnydale General to pay some bills. I saw a lot of people come in with bumps and bruises. Most of the women who came in looking like Veruca usually got punched by their old man. Know what I mean?"

"Yeah, I do. Thanks, Warren."

"Sure thing. Oh, hey, Kennedy?"

"Yeah?"

"If you see some kid come by, named Andrew, do me a favor and don't mention you've seen me. He's some nerd I ran into playing D&D and he's been a pain in the ass ever since, wanting to hang out with me. He's okay, but really clingy."

Kennedy laughed. "Sure thing. I'll let your boy toy down easy." Still laughing, she ignored Warren's horrified look and went into her apartment. That'll teach him to diss a nerd, she thought gleefully. Not that Warren was much more than a nerd himself with his robotics and "babe" comments. Still, he was harmless and probably pretty damn smart if he aced all of his classes. And he'd called Maggie Walsh a 'whack job' earning him extra points. Kennedy could literally see how unhappy Professor Walsh would have been to have someone like Warren in her class and making good grades. She'd probably ramped up and failed half the class in a futile effort to lower his grade.

Kennedy decided she needed to have another talk with Veruca about the entire bruise situation. She hadn't exactly bought what Veruca had told her this morning. Plus, Kennedy hadn't smelled any alcohol on Veruca. Instead, she'd smelled pretty funky, although more in a just rolled in manure way than anything sexual. There had actually been something vaguely familiar about the way she'd smelled that caught Kennedy's attention. She didn't know why it was familiar, but eventually she would remember.

In the meantime, while she waited, Kennedy started her homework, Psychology first, since she had the most there. Maybe I should drop a class, she mused...

* * *

Veruca nearly panicked as she realized what time it was. The sun would be down in thirty minutes. She had to hurry. The last thing she wanted was to change in the apartment and tear up all of their new stuff. And possibly her roomie as well. Of course, she was equally worried that it might be the other way around, with Kennedy tearing her up, based on how she'd whaled on that vampire.

But everything would be fine so long as she got in and out as quickly as possible. Throwing open the door to the apartment, Veruca raced to her room. Stripping as fast as possible, she grabbed whatever she could find to go out in. She was just about to head out when Kennedy appeared, blocking the door to her room.

"Veruca, we need to talk."

Not exactly what she wanted to hear. Ignoring Kennedy, she tried to move past the other girl, only to be picked up and set back on her feet on her side of the door. "I don't think so. Look, I get that you're probably humiliated and embarrassed about the whole situation. I get that. But you don't have to go through it alone. I'm here to help?"

Embarrassed and humiliated? For a brief second, Veruca wondered if somehow Kennedy had found out about the Wolf. But thinking about this morning made it evident that what she was talking about was some theory about Veruca being abused. Her next words confirmed it.

"Just tell me who hit you. I'll go have a little chat with him and straighten him out. Even if you don't swing my way, we need to stay solid in the sisterhood."

Veruca could literally _feel_ the Wolf getting closer to the surface as the moon rose and the sun set. She only had a handful of minutes to before it was too late. "Look, Kennedy, nobody hit me. I fell. I was drunk off my ass. Don't make more of it than it is."

Kennedy's eyes hardened. For just a moment, Veruca felt just how a vampire might feel facing her. "See, I don't think that's true. You didn't smell of alcohol this morning. Actually, you didn't smell like you'd gotten any either. So I figure you were lying. What I don't know is why. I'm not letting you out of this apartment until you tell me. So what's it gonna be?"

Veruca was panicking. "I have to go! I'll explain later. Let me by!" With that, Veruca tried to push past Kennedy. She might as well have tried to make the Earth stop rotating. Kennedy effortlessly tossed her back.

Then she felt the change happening and lost focus on the world as her consciousness slipped away...

* * *

Kennedy stared in astonishment as her roommate changed. Veruca's clothes ripped and tore. Hair sprouted all over her form and muscles, bones, and tendons changed. Veruca's face changed as her jaw extended, her eyes became yellow, and her mouth filled with razor sharp teeth. Claws pushed out from her fingers and toes. Where Veruca had stood, now was a werewolf. And it was charging right at her!

Kennedy dropped onto her back as the thing sprang, driving a leg up into its stomach and catapulting it over her head and into the wall behind her. The entire building shook with the impact. It also left a huge crater in wall of the room. Not that it slowed down the werewolf it the slightest. Shrugging off bits of drywall and dust, it leaped to its feet and charged again.

This time, Kennedy kicked it again, catching it hard in the shoulder and knocking it backward. Unfortunately, she wasn't wearing her steel-toed boots and the impact nearly broke her foot. "Motherfucker, that hurt!"

"Okay, let's go you overgrown dog-faced girl! Bring it on!" Kennedy hoped she wasn't just spouting bullshit as the damn thing got up again, seemingly no worse for the wear. Notty had told her that a werewolf was able to take tremendous amounts of damage because of its amazing recuperative powers.

Kennedy knew she needed to get out of the bedroom, since it was too small to be able to use her superior speed and agility fully. She faked moving forward, and when the werewolf lunged, juked sideways through the bedroom door, into the living room. The werewolf quickly recovered and followed her. Kennedy grabbed an end table and brought it down on the werewolf's head as it entered the living room, driving it flat on the ground.

Then the door to the apartment opened. Warren stood there, mouth opened in astonishment as he took in the scene. The werewolf took that moment to lunge to its feet, snapping at Kennedy. Fortunately, the blow had bought her enough time to get something else to hit the werewolf with. In this case, one of the leather recliners. Hefting the heavy chair over her head, Kennedy ruthlessly slammed it down on the werewolf, pinning it to the floor. Warren's eyes were even larger as he took in what she'd just done. Then he found his voice.

"What the fuck, Kennedy! What the hell is that thing?"

"That's a werewolf. It's also Veruca. I need to figure out a way to stop it without killing it. Unfortunately, I'm fresh out of ideas. Shit! It's getting up again!"

Warren's eyes brightened, then he raced off with a "I'll be right back!"

Great, Kennedy groused, as the chair beneath her heaved. He's gone. Probably going to get his imitation light saber to whack it with. Suddenly, she went flying as the chair exploded upwards. The werewolf wasted its energy tearing the recliner apart before spotting Kennedy on the floor nearby. She tried to scramble to her feet, but her damaged foot slowed her down. And hurt like hell. Change that nearly broke her foot to definitely broke her foot. Man, that hurts, Kennedy thought as she finally got to her feet, only to find the werewolf between her and the door.

"Nice doggy, " she managed. But the 'doggie' wasn't having any as it rushed forward again. Just as it was about to hit her, a blast of light struck it from behind. The werewolf convulsed, its limbs spasming as if it had received a great shock. But it still wasn't down. Then Warren did something with the device in his hands and it shot again, even brighter than before. The werewolf went ballistic, shaking and jerking, before finally going still, steam rising from its form.

Then the device that Warren had used started sparking and flashing. He tossed it hastily into Kennedy's kitchen and dove into her couch, knocking it over onto its back. Kennedy hastily joined him just before an explosion occurred. Looking up, Kennedy was shocked to see that her kitchen was now a gutted ruin.

"Holy fuck! What the hell was that thing?"

Warren looked chagrined "One of my inventions. It's essentially a wireless taser. Unfortunately, I haven't figured out a stable power source for it. Those damn capacitors charge up fine from an AC source, but discharge is a little off."

"What the hell are you doing building something like that? I thought you were into robots?"

He gave Kennedy an embarrassed smile. "I'm kind of a fan of Star Wars. I always thought it would be neat to have a blaster, like the one Han Solo had. So I've worked on it intermittently since high school. Who thought it would be so hard to figure out how to build one?"

Kennedy by this time had managed to get over to where Veruca lay and check for a pulse. She was alive. And probably out for the rest of the night. Still, better safe than sorry. Dragging the werewolf into her room, Kennedy dug out a set of manacles, some chains and some heavy rope. It only took her a few minutes to bind up the unconscious werewolf and place it inside of her bathroom in the bathtub. Just in case you have an accident, Kennedy thought.

She came out of her room to find Warren talking to some guy in a maintenance uniform. Warren was gesturing wildly. "The damn thing just exploded. I tell you I've never seen a microwave explode before. I didn't even think they could do that."

Walking over to where they stood, Kennedy got her first look into the kitchen. The 'blaster' that Warren had used had landed on top of the built in microwave. Exploding there, it had damaged pretty much the entire kitchen. Only the refrigerator still seemed to be working, since having been off to the side, it had been shielded from the worst of the blast.

"You kids both okay?" The man, whose name patch said Eduardo, looked worried. He probably thinks he's going to get in big trouble for this, Kennedy thought.

"We're both fine. Luckily, my roommate's out right now. Can you fix this, Eduardo?"

"Sí, I can fix it. But the management, they are going to want to investigate. If the microwave blew up, they are going to find someone to blame."

"Is it your job to stay on top of stuff like that, Eduardo?"

The man nodded. "Sí. I don't know what I am going to tell them."

Kennedy made a quick decision. "Let's do this. You don't tell them anything. Arrange to get everything fixed. I'll pay for it."

Eduardo looked both relieved and ashamed. "I cannot let you do that, señorita. I am responsible for this..."

Kennedy was insistent. "Yes, you can. Don't argue with me. I can afford to pay to fix this. Okay?"

Eduardo smiled. "Okay, señorita."

"My name's Kennedy, by the way. Let me know when you need a check and I'll get you one."

"Thank you, Señorita Kennedy. Vaya con Dios." With that, Eduardo left.

Warren looked displeased. "I had him going. The management would have paid to fix everything. You didn't..."

Kennedy held up her hand in a stop gesture. "Don't. You shouldn't have lied to him. If he'd turned this in to his bosses to fix, they would have fired him, assuming that he did something wrong. That's bullshit. It was us, not him, that were at fault. That was a pretty shitty thing you did there, Warren."

Warren hung his head and wouldn't meet her eyes. "I didn't think about him losing his job. I just thought..."

"That you'd lie and get out of trouble. Real life doesn't work that way, Warren. Lies usually just get you deeper in. I'm not saying that sometimes you don't have to lie, but don't make a habit of it. Eventually, you'll tell one too many and lose any chance to make things right."

Warren nodded jerkily. He really isn't that bad a guy, Kennedy mused. His morality is a little too flexible, but otherwise he's okay. "I did want to say that what you did? Possibly saving my life? That was pretty cool. On the grand scales of the cosmos, it probably makes up for lying to Eduardo."

Warren's face lit up. "You really think so?"

Kennedy nodded. "Yes, I do. It was pretty brave of you to come back. So thanks."

"You're welcome."

Kennedy slowly walked around picking up stuff and putting things back upright. The chair, both end tables, and the couch were write offs. The plasma TV hadn't been touched. Who knows how much the kitchen was going to cost to fix. Luckily, she still had a lot of room on her credit card. Plus the family would pay off the balance on the first of the month. Yay, money, she thought.

"Hey, Kennedy?"

"What?"

"As long as we're on this truth spiel, you want to tell me how you were able to lift that chair and whack that overgrown dog with it?" Warren's eyes were alive with curiosity as he asked.

Shit, Kennedy thought, hoisted on my own petard. She scrambled to try to come up with an appropriate explanation, then realized that only the truth would work.

"Okay, Warren, the truth. Why don't you sit down in the only remaining recliner and make yourself comfortable? It's like this..."

* * *

Holy Ratshit, Batman! Warren couldn't believe his ears. Kennedy was this Slayer chick. Like Spiderman, but without his clinging powers, his webshooters, his spider sense... okay, so not really all that much like Spiderman. Still, Kennedy was a genuine superhero. How cool was that?

"So this watcher guy is like your Alfred?"

"My Alfred?" Kennedy looked confused.

"You know, like with Batman? He has Alfred, his butler."

Kennedy shook her head. "Notty definitely isn't like Alfred. For one, he's not a butler, and he does everything but bring me tea and cookies."

"That's a misnomer, you know. Everybody thinks that all Alfred did was to bring the tea and answer the door. But he was a lot more than that. He was Batman's right hand man. He..."

Kennedy's voice was sharp. "I said he's not like Alfred. Okay?"

"Sure thing, Kennedy. No need to get testy. So, what's next?"

"Next? Next, I call my Watcher and then I need to figure out something to do with Veruca. I can't leave her in my bathtub forever, although I think it'll be okay just for tonight."

Warren was about to ask about helping her when she crossed to the still halfway opened door. Throwing it the rest of the way open, she grabbed a figure that lurked outside, pulling him in, and throwing him to the ground!

Kennedy stood over the kid, glaring down at him, as he cowered at her feet. "Okay, kid, who are you? What were you doing lurking outside my door? Talk to me, already."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Warren do a double-take, and put his head in his hands.

"Warren, you know this guy?"

"His name is Andrew. Remember, I told you about him?"

'Andrew' cautiously looked up at Kennedy, and apparently deciding his life was in no immediate danger, sat up. "Oh great and powerful Slayer, I am Andrew Wells, sometimes referred to as the Wise. I couldn't help overhearing your tale of excitement and adventure as you explained it to my compatriot, Warren. I hereby pledge to aid you and place my great powers fully at your disposal."

The kid was insane. Kennedy looked at Warren, who shook his head. "Great powers?" This to Warren. God knows, she didn't want to encourage the kid to open his mouth again.

"He once called up Hellhounds to terrorize the Prom."

Andrew grew indignant. "That was my brother Tucker! I called up flying monkeys to terrorize the school play. I'm so tired of everyone confusing the two. I..."

"Can it, Andrew, or I'll flying monkey you. Got it?" Kennedy gave the kid a hard look that shut his yap. Thank God.

Walking over to Warren, she lowered her voice. "What am I going to do with him?"

Warren's eyes gleamed with repressed humor. "You could always do what I do, pretend not to be home when he comes by."

"I heard that!"

"Shut up!" Both Kennedy and Warren chorused, then grinned at each other in acknowledgment.

"Okay, I have an idea." With that, Kennedy turned back to Andrew, who had gotten up and was checking out the kitchen.

"Wow, guys, what happened here? It looks like a bomb went off. That is sooo cool! Did a bomb go off?"

Warren shook his head. "Nah, my blaster blew up."

Andrew's eyes bugged out. "THEY'RE WORKING?! I must have one! Please, Warren, I'll give you anything for one! I'll even give you my limited edition Boba Fett figure."

Kennedy decided to intervene since Warren looked entirely too tempted to give Andrew the means to blow himself up. "No way, Andrew. The only place you're going is out of here. You can come back tomorrow at 3:00 pm and meet my watcher, Notty, who is going to have some questions for you about magic."

"But..."

"Go."

"But..."

"If I have to tell you again, I'll follow you home and take your Boba Fett figure for myself."

Andrew's eyes bugged. Scrambling, he moved as fast as he could towards the door. Finally, he made it out. Kennedy could hear him scramble down the steps.

Warren looked vaguely uneasy. "You wouldn't have really followed him home and taken his Boba Fett figure would you? That was just a bluff, right?"

Kennedy rolled her eyes. And he called Andrew a nerd. "The same goes for you, Warren. I want you back here at 3:00 pm as well."

"But..."

"Don't argue. Now I need to grab a shower and get ready to go out. I have an evil something or other to slay."

Warren left her alone and went back to his apartment. Kennedy stood in the wreckage of her apartment and thought about her life since being called as the Slayer. She decided she wouldn't trade it for a normal life, no matter how long. At least a Slayer really _lived_. Now she just had to get ready...

* * *

She moved through the night. Soon she would have enough of the soul she was taking to be able to hide herself. It couldn't come quickly enough to suit her. The dangerous predator that had followed her the other night had worried her. But when she was done, such a creature wouldn't be able to recognize her and would pass her by as if she were human. They would...

Just then she felt a tap on her shoulder. She started to run as a voice sounded from behind her. "You didn't think I forgot, did you?" She felt a terrible pain at her neck, and then everything went black...

* * *

Kennedy frowned in disgust as the nasty green slime that the 'girl' had used for blood coated her jeans. That what I get for beheading her, she thought. Maybe, I should have stabbed her instead?

Oh well, it was over. Kennedy had been ninety nine point nine percent sure that the 'girl' was a demon. That point one percent hadn't been enough to dissuade her from attacking the 'girl' from ambush. Too much chance she'd lose if she did that. You never knew with an unknown demon just how tough they were...

_The next day..._

Her watcher stared at the three young people seated on the couch across from him. "So this is them?" His tone revealed he wasn't particularly happy about knowing the answer.

"Notty, this is Veruca Sanderson, Warren Mears, and Andrew Wells. Veruca is a werewolf, Warren is a genius, and Andrew, well, he does some magic."

Notty nodded thoughtfully. "Miss Sanderson, am I to take it that you have been willfully endangering people by running around under the full moon as a werewolf?" His eyes were cold and at that moment, Kennedy was glad he wasn't looking at her that way.

Veruca nodded and said defiantly, "That's right, gramps. So what?"

Notty slowly massaged the bridge of his nose. "Kennedy?"

"Yes?"

"Did you explain to Miss Sanderson what the consequences were if she continues this behavior?"

"Sorry, Notty, but I didn't get a chance to."

He looked pained. "Kennedy, please be so good as to tell her what will happen."

This was the part she wasn't looking forward to. Veruca looked from her back to Notty, then back to her. "What's going on, Kennedy?"

"Veruca, I like you. And not in a sex way."

Andrew whispered to Warren, "What is she talking about?"

Warren whispered back, "Kennedy's a lesbian."

"That's so cool!" Andrew shot up off of the couch, then sat back down and kind of shrank in when he saw everyone looking at him.

Kennedy just shook her head. "If we could please cease the interruptions? Thanks. Now where was I? Oh yeah. Veruca, I think you're pretty cool. And you've got a pretty good life. You've got a kicking band from the CD I heard. You're going to college. You've got me as a roommate. The problem is that I'm the Slayer. It's not just what I do, but who I am. And if you keep running around attacking professors and anyone you come across, I'm going to have to slay you."

Veruca looked scared. "Would you really hurt me, Ken?"

"I wouldn't like it, but I'd do it. More to the point, you know it's not the right thing to do. See, what I really think is that you subconsciously played it the way you did because you wanted to get caught. By me in fact. Otherwise, why leave it until so late to go out? Why even come back to the apartment at all? So, I'm giving you your wish. I'm going to help make sure you are in for the night. Notty has a cage we can put together in your room for when you turn into a wolf. He brought it with him today in fact. That's where you're going to spend tonight and any other wolfie nights." Most of the plan, including the psychoanalyzing, had in fact been Notty's. But he and Kennedy both thought it would be more palatable coming from Kennedy. Now seeing the way Veruca was reacting, Kennedy realized they'd done the right thing by handling it the way they had.

Veruca looked alternately scared and defiant. "What if I don't want to do that?"

"Then I'm going to take a sword and cut off your head, just like I did that demon chick last night. We both know you dodged a bullet last night. I didn't want to hurt you. But if you do it again, I'll be ready. Do you understand, Veruca? I mean, seriously, you're busted and these are the consequences. The only other thing you can do is run. Right now, as far and fast as you can. But watch your back because I'll be there." Kennedy didn't see the point in mincing words. The last thing she wanted was to kill Veruca. The best way to ensure that was to make sure that Veruca understood the consequences of continuing her self-destructive behavior.

Veruca looked like she was near tears. "I don't want to run. I don't. I don't want to be the Wolf. I just can't help it. I tried so hard..."

Kennedy got up from her chair and knelt on the floor in front of Veruca, taking her hands in hers. "I'm here to help you. You know that, right? You're not alone. Okay?"

Veruca sniffled, then gave a slightly teary smile. "Okay, but I'm still not going to sleep with you."

Kennedy hugged her, ignoring Andrew's whispered, "Wow."

Notty tapped his toe on the floor as he eyed the two young men. "Mr. Mears, you are very good with electronics, I take it?"

Warren nodded. "With a specialty in robotics. Did you want me to make you something?"

Notty eyed him narrowly. "Why?"

Warren looked nonplussed. "Why what?"

"Why robotics? It seems there would be far more lucrative fields for someone with your formidable skills to enter that would still provide one with certain intellectual stimulation."

"Well... I... ah... I don't know."

Notty smiled cruelly. "Come now, Mr. Mears, should I believe that? Surely you have an idea why you do what you do? Or are you that blind to your own motivations?"

Warren looked angry. "It's all I've wanted to do since the first time I picked up a comic book. It was an Iron Man comic and he was fighting Ultron." He stopped for a second. "I didn't want to _be_ Ironman, I wanted to _build_ Ultron or something like him."

Andrew lit up. "Oooh, that was a great issue."

Warren smiled at him. "It sure was. I loved that issue. I..."

Notty interrupted. "Let's drop the comic book talk, gentlemen. Mr. Mears, what good are you?"

Warren looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, what can you do? How can you help? What good are you to my Slayer?"

"Well, I can make things to help her, gadgets 'n stuff. I can solve problems that come up. I'm really good with computers. I..."

"And do you want to help?"

"I... sure."

"That certainly sounded like you meant it. I asked if you want to help, Mr. Mears. Do you?"

Warren looked thoughtful for a second, then slowly nodded. "Yes, I want to help. I really do."

Notty thoughtfully nodded. Then he turned to Andrew, who volunteered without being asked, "I want to help."

"Yes, but why should we let you? By your own admittance, the only thing you've used your small magical talent for is torment others. Or do you have a better excuse for what you did? Summoning those T'chal demons on the school play?"

Andrew looked crushed. "I... I wasn't trying to hurt anyone. It's just they were being so mean to me. So I decided to be mean right back."

Warren interjected, "He dismissed them before they hurt anyone. All they did was fly around and scare people."

Notty shook his head. "Magic is not a toy. It's not a game or a diversion for your entertainment. If you treat it that way, it will kill you, boy. That's assuming I don't have Kennedy do it first. I have half a mind to allow you to help." Andrew smiled brilliantly. "But I have some serious reservations." Andrew's smile fell. "I'll need you to do something for me first."

Andrew cleared his throat nervously. "What is that?"

"I need you to swear that you will no longer use your magic without first clearing it with Kennedy or me. If you do that, I'll let you help. If you don't, I'll ask you to leave with the admonishment that if you discuss what you heard today, you'll regret it for the rest of your consequently short life. What are your thoughts, Mr. Wells?"

Andrew beamed. "Of course, I swear. I, Andrew the Wise..."

Notty snapped, "I said this isn't a game! Damn it, boy, you are no longer a child! You need to leave your foolishness behind you. Now give me you word."

Andrew hesitated, then said, "I promise not to cast any spells without permission from Kennedy or you, sir."

Kennedy enjoyed the amazed look Warren wore at Andrew's solemness. Truth be told, she was more than a little surprised that even Notty had managed to get that reaction from Andrew. But he had, and appeared at least somewhat satisfied.

With a final last look at the three young people on the couch, Notty turned to Kennedy and said, "Well, Kennedy, you have an interesting group here. I'm not sure how much use they're going to be though."

Kennedy shrugged. "I didn't pick them because they were useful. I picked them because I like them."

Andrew stared at her. "Even me?"

With a smile, Kennedy said, "Pretty much. Just watch the overreaction to the lesbianism, okay?"

Andrew smiled nervously. "I can do that."

Notty turned to go. Only Kennedy heard him mutter under his breath, "Great. One recovering werewolf. One genius with delusions. And one deluded young man. The world is doomed."

Kennedy looked over her group. They weren't the most glamorous bunch. But they were hers.


	3. Chapter Three—The Harsh Light of Day

**Chapter Three—The Harsh Light of Day **

**Author's note:** The quoted song is "Dilate" by Four Star Mary, lip-synced by the Dingoes in canon. I don't own that either.

**Bam! Bam! Bam!**

Kennedy groaned at the banging on her door, followed by, "Hurry up, babe! I want to get there before all the hot ones are taken!"

Sighing, she knew she had only herself to blame. She had, after all, made that stupid bet with Warren about picking up girls. Now she had to follow through. Giving herself one final look in the mirror, Kennedy made sure that she was hot enough to win the bet. Oh yeah, she thought with a smile. She wore a tight, black tank top that didn't quite cover her midriff along with tight, black leather pants, and black heels. Her hair, still short, although she was growing it out, was gathered back from her face in a complex weave. In short, she looked hot with a capital H. Grabbing a red jacket, the only color she allowed herself tonight, Kennedy went to meet her fate.

She opened the door just as Warren was going to bang on it again. She gave him a look, but needn't have bothered. He was giving her the look of a starved man towards a steak dinner. "Down boy, I'm AC only."

Warren grinned at her, then frowned. "Shit, babe, I haven't got a chance of winning that bet, do I?"

Kennedy shook her head. "Nope. And when you pay up, please make sure to use extra polish when you dust the furniture. Since it's new, it needs that extra touch of care." Giggling, Kennedy lead the way out and down the steps. There she paused, staring at the vehicle in front of her.

"Jeeze, Warren, that's pretty pathetic, don't you think?"

Warren shrugged as if to say, "What?" Then he replied, "Sorry, but it gets me where I'm going." This in reference to the dark red Toyota Corolla, which from its boxy shape, must date at least to the mid-eighties.

Kennedy decided there and then that she was buying a car within the week. She did have a driver's license, after all. It wasn't her fault that she didn't know how to drive, having had chauffeurs all her life to take her places. Maybe she could get Veruca to teach her?

"I swear to God, Warren, if I get anything on me, I'm going to kill you. Got it?" Kennedy slid into the passenger seat, shuddering as her feet went ankle deep into trash.

Warren had the grace to look ashamed as he got in. "Sorry, Ken, I should have cleaned it out before tonight. I was just busy with that idea of using magic to power my blaster. But Andrew couldn't get anything to work. I think we need an object, not a spell. The problem with a spell is that no matter how powerful it..."

Kennedy yawned elaborately, then cracked a fictitious whip. "Enough about that. Onward, Jeeves!"

Warren scowled at her. "You know, that was almost funny before you let it slip that you actually had a chauffeur named Jeeves."

"Sorry."

In companionable silence, they drove to the Bronze, which was all of five miles away. Talk about a small town, Kennedy thought. Warren parked in an alley, which looked to be prime vampire hunting territory. As she got out, Kennedy asked, "So is there a band tonight?"

Warren shrugged. "I think so. Dingoes Ate My Baby should be playing."

"And?"

He shrugged again. "They're okay. I personally think they used to be better, but I'm not sure I'm in the majority."

"Cool."

Kennedy paid her five dollar cover and got her under 21 stamp, which sucked. Bastard Watchers, she thought. The Bronze was... interesting. The first thing she noticed as she walked in was the dance floor that lay between a decent-sized stage and a bar. To one side, there were several couches and chairs. On another, a couple of pool tables. There were stairs leading up to a balcony, which appeared to overlook the dance floor and the stage. So guys could stare down at the cleavage of girls dancing, Kennedy surmised.

The crowd appeared to be a mix of high school and college age kids. And Warren had been right: with the exception of a few hot girls, there was almost no mingling between the two. Which Kennedy didn't mind. She was aiming for a hot college girl of her own.

"What do you want to drink?" Warren asked, looking like he was heading to the bar.

"Vodka tonic."

"Yeah, right. Dream on, Miss Underage."

"Fuck! I hate being underage! Gimme a fuckin' Diet Coke."

Warren was laughing his ass off as he walked off. Moodily, Kennedy stared after him. She decided to stake out a table.

Warren made his way to the bar, passing several hot girls on the way. Unfortunately, none of them gave him a second glance. He placed his order for drinks with the bartender, then glanced in the mirror behind the bar for two reasons. First, as a Sunnydale alum, he knew better that to take any chances with his fellow clubbers. Luckily, there appeared to be reflections all around. Second, to look over his appearance. Yep, he was so going to lose.

"Mears, who's the girl you came in with?"

Warren turned and somehow kept from groaning. Parker Abrams, possibly the biggest turd in existence, was talking to him. How lucky, he thought sarcastically. Then an idea hit him. You are a bad, bad man, Warren thought in amusement. "That's Kennedy. She's a freshman at UC Sunnydale."

Warren watched Parker's eyes light up with interest. Yep, still an uber sleaze. "She here with you?"

Warren shrugged. "We're friends is all. I mean, I tried... you know? But no dice. She's outta my league."

Parker looked thoughtful. "So you wouldn't mind if I talked to her?"

Warren managed to hide his grin, but it was painful. "Nope. Go ahead. If you want, you can bring her this drink."

Parker looked at the glass. "What is it?"

"Just Diet Coke. She's too young to drink and I'm not getting busted for giving a minor alcohol."

Parker nodded. "Good point." He took the drink from Warren's hand, giving him a grateful look.

Warren nodded, then headed off into the crowd. There had to be at least one girl who wouldn't mind talking to him...

Kennedy sat at her table, wondering where the fuck Warren was with her Diet Coke. Bad enough she couldn't drink, but she was thirsty as well. Then there was hand holding out a glass to her. Kennedy took the glass, then followed the hand up where it connected to the rest of the guy who gave it to her. A guy not Warren. "Who are you?"

The guy, who Kennedy had to admit was pretty cute, smiled at her. "I'm Parker Abrams. Warren asked me to take your drink to you. He ran into an old friend and was trying to catch up."

Shit! Had Warren already scored while she was wasting time with a guy? Surely not. "Did he?"

Parker sat down next to her without being invited. "Yes. I hope that doesn't bother you. He mentioned you were just friends..."

Lord, could he be anymore obvious? "We are. It's cool."

He leaned in a little closer, giving Kennedy a look at soulful dark eyes. "That's great. So, Kennedy, how has your college experience been so far? Are you living off or on campus?"

"I have an apartment a little off campus." Wait a second, Kennedy thought. Is that a vampire, I feel?

He smiled. "I bet that feeling of independence is great, isn't it? Me, I've lived in the dorms here since my freshman year. I've never been bold enough to strike out on my own like that. I really admire that about you."

Kennedy was distracted from the vampire by Parker's line of BS. She stared at him in disbelief. Is there something wrong with my lesbian vibe, she wondered, or is this guy just that clueless? As he continued to drone on and on, Kennedy rapidly figured it was the latter.

The vampire feeling was gone. Hopefully, that didn't mean someone was getting snacked on right then. Kennedy was just about to tell Parker to take a hike after way too much of his crap, when she spotted Warren approaching. And he wasn't alone. Great, Kennedy thought, now I'm going to be his maid for a week...

Up on stage, the Dingoes had started their set.

"When I see your face  
My eyes just dilate  
But I can't erase  
That I want to violate  
Every bit and everything and every part of you..."

"So, babe, come here often?" Warren smiled at the cute girl in front of him. He'd been surprised at how easy she had been to pick up. She had just walked in, looking around as if to see whether anyone she knew was there. When Warren had walked up and started to talk to her, she had smiled and gone with him to grab a drink. Now they were sitting and talking. Warren was trying to be careful not to screw things up.

"Not really. They won't serve me alcohol and I hate paying for overpriced sugary drinks." Okay, he could see her point.

"Gotcha. Sucks to be underage, doesn't it?" At her fierce expression, Warren knew he'd hit a nerve.

"I"m not underage! I'm... umm... older than I look." She looked eighteen. So maybe she was nineteen or twenty. Still too young to drink.

"It's cool. You're really pretty, you know." Always lead off with a compliment, Warren decided.

"Am I? You really think so?" She leaned in, dark eyes sparkling, so Warren leaned in as well.

"Yes, I do. You're finer than Carrie Fisher in _Return of the Jedi_." Damn! He really needed to watch those Star Wars references as he saw her confused expression. That girl, Katrina, who'd been in his engineering class, had told him it was the kiss of death. Warren still thought he would be able to get her to go out with him if he were persistent enough. Still, one in the hand was worth two in the bush, he thought, eyeing the hot girl across from him.

"I don't know what that is. Tell me more about how pretty I am." Okay, a little vain, but he could handle that.

"You've got great eyes, a beautiful smile, and a killer bod." Much better than Star Wars.

"Do you want to go back to your place and copulate?" What the fuck?

Warren choked on his drink. "What?" Somehow he kept rum and Coke from dribbling out his nose.

"Copulate. It's when two members of the opposite sex..." Please stop, he thought. Wait, stop? She wants to have sex with me!

Warren waved his hand. "I know what it means. I just... you want to? With me?"

The girl, Anya, smiled at him. "Yes! You're really cute. I like your spiky hair. And you have big hands. They're very manly. And perhaps you will help me get over my conflicted feelings about my almost-boyfriend."

He had big hands? Well, maybe. Warren was more than a little puzzled, but decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth, almost-boyfriend or not. After all, the number of times when he had successfully picked up a girl at the Bronze was exactly twice. Including this time. So he decided to get, while the getting was good.

"Sure thing, Anya. Let's go." Taking her arm, he led her towards the door. As they passed Kennedy, Warren saw that she was still talking to Parker. Shit, maybe I should tell her that he's a douchebag, Warren thought. But Kennedy had said she was strictly chicks only, so she shouldn't be vulnerable to Parker's line of BS.

As he passed Kennedy, he fell back a couple of feet behind Anya. He made a quick gesture with his index fingers, one encircling the other. He moved his finger in and out of the circled one. Kennedy shrugged as if to say, "Who cares?" Ha! Gotcha, Warren thought. Then he saw Anya watching him in one of the mirrors. Uh oh, he thought.

"Who is that girl?" Anya wore a little frown.

"Just a friend."

"Is she?" Okay, Anya was starting to look pissed.

"Sure. I mean she's strictly into chicks, so it's something we have in common, you know?"

Anya's face brightened. "I could see that. She was staring at me. Well, as long as she doesn't want to have sex with me, that's fine."

Warren couldn't help the feeling of disappointment that swept through at the thought of Anya and Kennedy going at it hot and heavy. Oh well, at least I'm going to get laid...

Kennedy felt the feeling again. There was a vampire nearby. Either that or her period had decided to show up two weeks early. Yeah, right. Time to ditch Posable Parker. "Sorry, gotta book. It was nice to meet you, Packer."

The boy didn't look happy. "It's Parker, Kennedy. Can I..." He stopped, looking across the room at someone. "I'll see you later, Kennedy. I just saw a friend."

Kennedy didn't feel any regret as he walked off. She watched him greet another guy, who handed him a pool cue. She got up and headed towards the door. Kennedy was hot on the track of a vampire. Where the hell did it go? Kennedy ran outside and headed towards an alley. Abruptly she stopped as she saw a familiar face. "Warren? I thought you left?"

Warren looked nervous. "I'm about to."

Kennedy stared at the girl with him. "Who's this?"

She held out her hand to Kennedy, shaking it vigorously. "I'm Anya. I don't want to have sex with you."

Kennedy shook her head. Who did the girl think she was? "Ooookay. Warren, whose van is this?" He had been about to get into a large, black van with darkened windows. Kennedy wondered where his little shitty car went.

Warren looked panicked. Then Anya answered, "It's mine. I purchased it with money I made by working hard at the American Dream."

"That's right." Warren still looked panicked, but not as much as a second ago. Maybe he thinks he won't get laid if Anya sees the piece of shit he drives, Kennedy thought.

Kennedy decided she'd had enough of nutty people for one night. "I think I understand. Congrats on winning the bet, by the way. Hey, did either one of you spot someone going this way?"

Warren nodded jerkily. "Sure, she went that way, Ken." He pointed further down the alley.

Kennedy flashed a smile. "Great, thanks."

Running off, she swore she heard Anya say something about him sleeping on the couch if he'd bet on her, but then she was out of earshot. Kennedy pushed her senses out to their fullest extreme. Nothing. Wait. There it was.

Moving as fast as she could through the dark alleyways, Kennedy followed her prey. Then she saw them, a woman with long blonde hair half carrying another person. Kennedy moved forward and stabbed her stake into the back of the blonde, turning her to dust. That takes care of her. She grabbed the guy, who seemed to be coming around, and hustled him back to the Bronze. Once there, she told the bouncer to call him a cab. Time to head home and gear up for her driving lesson tomorrow...

**Bam! Bam! Bam!**

Warren groaned. He was exhausted. Last night had been... pretty much the answer to most of his fantasies. Anya had turned out to be insatiable. She just wouldn't stop. And _nothing_ embarrassed her. The things she did with her tongue...

**Bam! Bam! Bam!**

Warren dragged himself out of bed and moved toward the door. Let it not be her, he thought. He needed at least a day of rest after last night. He was sore in places he'd never been sore before. Warren carefully looked through the peephole, and saw who was outside. Andrew. Shit. Warren so did not want to deal with him right now. He turned away from the door and went back to bed.

"Hey, Kennedy, still up for your driving lesson?" Veruca asked, leaning on the door frame.

Kennedy looked up. "Hell, yes! Let's do that thang."

Veruca shook her head. Hopefully, this wouldn't be too hard, teaching Kennedy to drive. After all, the girl had amazing coordination. How hard could it be?

Veruca led the girl out to her car, a 1995 Ford Taurus. Not the most glamorous car, but all her parents would spring for upon her high school graduation. "Get in the passenger seat for right now, Ken. I'll drive us somewhere safe for a beginner."

Pulling out, Veruca headed towards the Sunnydale Mall. On a weekday like today, there would be minimal cars and tons of free space. There shouldn't be any problems...

"Mother fucker! Don't hit that lamp post!" Veruca shouted, terrified. What had she been thinking? Kennedy was completely insane. She'd pushed the gas pedal to the floor as soon as she'd started off.

"I missed it by a mile." Kennedy's confidant smile was only slightly dimmed as she barely missed hitting a concrete parking divider as the vehicle careened across the parking lot.

"Shit! Okay stop. Stop!" Veruca almost grabbed the wheel, but finally the car ground to a halt.

"What did I do that time?"

"Other than scare me half to death? Nothing." Fortunately, Veruca's sarcasm wasn't lost on Kennedy, judging from her return scowl.

"Now, I want you to drive slow. I mean crawl. C. R. A. W. L. Crawl along. No more than five miles per hour. Got that? When the car goes where you steer it, I'll let you increase to ten. Got it?"

"Fine!" Kennedy started off.

"Slower!"

"Fine!"

After that, things calmed down a bit. By the end of the lesson, Veruca still had an intact car. And Kennedy was almost steering straight. Almost being the operative word.

"Okay, next time, you get to go to ten miles per hour. But one press of that accelerator to the floor and Slayer or not, I'm going to kick the shit out of you. Got it?"

Kennedy grinned back, unabashed. "Sure thing, Veruca. So I did good, huh?"

Veruca couldn't help but smile at her jailer. "You did okay. Okay enough to get to go a little faster. But try not to wreck my car. It would be a bummer if I couldn't get around any better than you."

At that, Kennedy gave her a scowl and the finger, but just as quickly grinned again. The girl's mood was mercurial. "Did I tell you about that dick that Warren sicced on me the other night?"

Exchanging places so she could drive home, Veruca shook her head. "No, you didn't. What was his name?"

"Porker Abrams or something like that."

Veruca felt the first stirrings of anger. "_Parker_ Abrams?"

Kennedy nodded. "Yep, that's it."

Veruca almost growled. "Stay away from him. He's trouble with a capital T. The sonuvabitch seduces freshman girls and then dumps them as soon as he screws them, making them think there's something wrong with them."

Kennedy studied Veruca's face. Veruca looked away from that piercing look. "No, I didn't sleep with him. But he nailed Sarah, my old roomie. After that, she pretty much turned into a slut. She thought there was something wrong with her and to prove there wasn't, she hooked up with every guy she could."

Kennedy slowly nodded. "Let me think on it. Maybe we can teach Parker a lesson."

Veruca slowly smiled. "That would be cool. I'd love to see that shit go down..."

Andrew carefully looked both ways. No one he knew was watching, so he judged it safe to enter. Slowly he walked in under the sign that read: "Free Counseling Available"

He was so embarrassed. But he had to go to counseling as part of the deal he had made with the D.A.'s office after he'd got caught shoplifting _The Amazing Spider-Man, Issue #300/_. At 80, it had been way out of his price range, and he simply couldn't resist. Now he had to go to therapy and he was barred from his favorite comic store. Life was just so unfair.

Hopefully, that kid would be there. The one who knew the spells. At least that made the situation a little more bearable. Especially since after this, he had to go to...

"So, you're finally here." Notty stared at Andrew, who wondered if he should come in. As the older man stepped aside, Andrew decided that was invitation enough. He stepped into the apartment.

"Mr. Notty..."

"Just Notty. Sit down." Waiting for Andrew to sit at the table, Notty paused, "Now, do you know why I wanted to talk with you in private?"

Andrew shook his head. "No, you didn't say. Did you want me to do a spell for you?"

Notty gave Andrew a nasty look. "Absolutely not. You haven't been doing any magic have you?"

Nervously, Andrew replied, "No, of course not. You said not to, so I haven't. Like a Jedi Knight, I keep my word..."

Notty held up his had. "Please stop. I wanted to know how proficient you are in casting spells. Also, I have an idea how you can help me."

Andrew's smiled. If Notty wanted Andrew to show him spell proficiency, he would do so. "What spell would you have me cast, oh great one?" He drew himself up proudly.

Notty just stared at him, causing Andrew to wilt a bit. After a moment, he finally said, "Float a feather."

Andrew frowned. "That isn't worthy of my powers. I'm..."

"Float a feather and I'll let you show me more spells."

Excited, Andrew agreed. "I agree, oh great one." He took the feather that Notty handed him and placed it on the table. Concentrating, Andrew focused on moving the feather. Nothing seemed to be happening. Andrew decided that he needed to apply more magical power. Humming a chant of power under his breath, Andrew drew his immense power up and launched it at the feather!

Which didn't move. Andrew stared at it, crushed. Maybe it was a demon feather, he thought. Over the next thirty minutes, Andrew did everything he could possibly think of to move the feather. He wondered if Notty would care if he summoned a flying demon monkey to move it for him. One glance at Notty's face indicated that he probably would.

Finally, Andrew gave up. His face was streaked with sweat and his head ached from concentrating so hard. "I can't move it," he admitted, ashamed.

Notty nodded. "That's what I thought. You are completely untrained. What I asked you to do is one of the simplest spells that a new witch or wizard learns so that they can strengthen their control of their abilities. In a few minutes, I'll teach you the spell, since you can't move it by your will alone. When you are able to use it well, I'll let you do more smaller spells. If you master those, I'll gradually work you up to larger spells."

Andrew bounced in his seat, excited. "That is wondrous, oh great one. I bow..."

"Andrew, if you call me 'great one' again, I'm going to box your ears. Understand?"

Andrew nodded, although he didn't have the slightest idea what ear boxing was. Still, it sounded painful, and something to be avoided.

"Now, the other thing I wanted is for you to do a job for me. I want to hire you to sort out some potentially magical items I've acquired."

Eager, Andrew leaned forward. "I can do that, o... Notty. What items and where did they come from?"

Notty shrugged. "It's an odd job lot of stuff. I bought it from this fence that deals in stolen magical items. Apparently, he got them from some demon who nicked it from someone's apartment. Most of the stuff looks like junk, but you never know until you look through it. So you'll do it?"

Andrew nodded. Excited, he stated, "I shall endeavor to serve you as a padawan does his Jedi Master..."

Spike slowly lowered the pickaxe. His body ached from digging all day plus he was feeling a might peckish. And horny. "Harmony! Where the hell are you?"

Turning to the room at large, he asked, "Anyone seen that stupid bint?"

Jerry, a nervous look on his face, said, "She took off last night and hasn't been back."

Spike gave him a menacing look. "She took off where?"

Jerry was starting to look scared. "She didn't really say. Just that she was hungry and wanted to go to France."

Spike cursed. "I'll rip out her spine when I find her if she leads the Slayer here. I told everyone no hunting! That means everyone!"

Jerry nodded vigorously. Then he jerked nervously as Spike turned a considering stare on him. "Jerry, me boy, you and I are going out to find that stupid cow. We'll pick up a something to take back to the rest of the boys here." Jerry again nodded.

Spike almost left him behind just for being a yes man. "I think I know where she would go. We'll head there first." He stalked towards the exit...

Kennedy stood inside the Bronze, sipping on a Long Island Iced Tea. She'd conned a guy into buying it for her. He hadn't cared how old she was, just that her top was cut low enough to show more than a hint of cleavage. Then she'd danced a couple of dances with him before ditching him. Since she'd let him grind against her ass, Kennedy figured he'd been more than compensated for the drink.

So far the night was a bust (minus the drink). No vampires or demons at all so far. Then she felt them. Two vampires. Getting fainter. Sucking furiously, Kennedy finished her drink in three seconds flat and headed towards the exit.

Hitting the street outside, Kennedy didn't see them right away, so she cast around with her senses. There they were, somewhere on the other side of the Bronze. She was definitely getting better at figuring out directionality. She rounded the building, and she picked what she hoped was the right street leading away from the Bronze. As she ran down the street, the feeling slowly grew stronger, so she knew she'd chosen correctly. Kennedy had already run at least ten blocks, when she finally got a glimpse of her prey. She rounded a corner just in time to see two guys hustling a girl into an alley. Kennedy ran at her top speed towards the alley, drawing a stake while she ran. She stopped just shy of the alley's mouth, then tiptoed in. She could see the two vampires drinking from both sides of the girl's neck, her hands trying futilely to push them away. Kennedy stepped in and staked the one closest to her, turning him into a pile of ash.

"Bloody hell! What the fuck's the matter with you, you crazy bint?" The other vampire, a male with an English accent, came out of game face, dropping his meal. He had platinum blond hair and was dressed all in black, including a long, black, leather duster over the entire outfit. The only other notable thing about him was a scar over his left eye and that he was hotter than hell, with cheekbones to die for. It's a good thing that I'm gay, Kennedy thought absently.

Kennedy decided she couldn't rag him for wearing black since she'd gone that route herself. It was a classic, after all. "Sorry if I interrupted your date, bleach boy. Let me introduce myself. I'm Kennedy, the Vampire Slayer."

He laughed coarsely. "Yeah, right. Strikes fear in the hearts of no one, that does." In a falsetto voice, "I'm Kennedy, the Vampire Slayer. Fear me!" Back to normal, he said, "You ain't got what it takes to be a Slayer. Now, the Slayer, she..."

Did all hot guys have to be dicks, vampires or not? Kennedy, pissed off, kicked the blond pain-in-the-ass squarely in the balls with her pointed shoes. He lifted a foot off the ground, before collapsing into a heap. "Bleedin' hell. I'm going to rip off your head and drink straight from your brainstem, I am. They'll be findin' your body parts for days." He snarled, and put his game face back on.

Kennedy went to kick him again, only to find her foot grabbed and herself completely airborne. She hit the alley wall behind her with a grunt. Immediately, she ducked aside, narrowly avoiding the foot that pulverized brick where her face had been a half second ago. Kennedy tried to leg sweep the vampire, but he easily leaped over her leg.

Smiling now, the vampire advanced on her. "Well, well, if it isn't a Slayer, after all. Who died and made you, I wonder. Wouldn't be that dark-haired chit, would it? Doesn't matter. Just means I get my third Slayer a few days early." They exchanged some blows with Kennedy getting the worst of it, ending up on her ass again.

Kennedy managed to roll backwards to her feet. The vamp's punches and kicks had packed serious power behind them. Additionally, he was one hell of a hand to hand fighter. She decided to try to find out something about him. "Third Slayer? I think you're delusional, blondie."

He grinned at her demonically. "I'm Spike, darlin'. You'll be remembering that name for the thirty seconds it's going to take to kill you."

Spike? Holy shit! It was William the Bloody. He _had_ killed two Slayers, one in China during the Boxer Rebellion and one in New York City only a few years back. He was considered one of the most dangerous vampires alive... er, undead. Notty had cautioned her that if she ever ran into him, to be extremely careful and not to underestimate him.

"Heard of me, 'ave you? I'm not surprised. Goin' to run away? No? Then let's dance, darlin'."

Kennedy kept her stake in her hand as she fought the blond-haired demon. She blocked several punches, but took almost as many as she blocked, without getting one in herself. Spike was scarily good. Kennedy had already taken several blows that were more powerful than any vampire's she'd faced before. She was starting to worry when she spotted it. A tell. Kennedy saw him drop his left hand every time he threw a spinning backfist with his right.

Kennedy wiped her bloody nose and grimaced. Okay, she had a plan. Now to put it into effect. She took another couple of punches, then avoided the next blow, setting up another spinning backfist, which Spike obligingly delivered.

Ducking beneath the blow, Kennedy kicked Spike's left knee in the side, taking him off his feet. He'd managed to turn his knee just enough to avoid having his tendons torn apart. Spike did have to brace himself with his arm to get back to his feet and as he did so, Kennedy kicked down at it viciously with her foot, gratified at the muffled cracking sound it made as the radial snapped. Then Spike grabbed her ankle with his good hand and bounced her off the wall again.

Spike staggered to his feet in front of her, holding his right arm. "Bloody bitch! When I get the Gem of Amara, I'm going to bathe in your blood, Slayer." His face was a picture of rage.

Kennedy made a circling motion with her index finger. "Big whoop," she said sarcastically.

She watched with hidden relief as Spike ran off. After he was gone, she sat down, clutching her ribs. She had at least one broken, maybe two. That last bounce off the wall hadn't done them any good at all. After a moment, she stood back up and staggered to where Spike's victim lay. The girl was still alive, but not by much. Kennedy managed to get her into a fireman's lift over her shoulder, and walked her towards a less uninhabited part of town. Her ribs hurt with every step she took. Kennedy was conscious of hungry eyes on them both, but whatever it was didn't have the courage to come after even a wounded Slayer. From the way it felt to her Slayer sense, it was probably only a very low-level demon.

Finally, after what felt like hours, but was probably only a handful of minutes, Kennedy found a convenience store. She dropped her burden outside by the phones, groaning as her ribs twinged. Grabbing the handset, she dialed 911. In a ditzy, valley girl dialect, Kennedy exclaimed, "Oh my God! There's been an animal attack! Right here! Oh my God! The girl's completely bleeding. You'd better send an ambulance, like right now, you know? I mean, like seriously!"

Kennedy hung up. She would wait for the ambulance to arrive somewhere other than right here. Then she was heading over to Notty's. The Gem of Amara that Spike had mentioned sounded vaguely familiar, but she couldn't pin it down. Hopefully, Notty would be able to...

Notty put the last piece of tape in place, fully immobilizing Kennedy's ribs. Right now, she was cursing one of her abilities. The no drugs thing was a real bummer when you were hurt. Notty did have morphine available, but had judged her injuries to be insufficiently painful as to warrant its use. How did he know, Kennedy thought resentfully, I'm the one that's hurt. The only good thing was that she would be good as new within a day or so.

Notty began, "You're certain about the vampire's identification, Kennedy? William the Bloody?"

Kennedy nodded wearily. "Yep. He was the real deal. I've never faced a vampire that was so tough. And he hit like a pile driver."

Notty nodded thoughtfully. "Well, you haven't faced any master-level vampires yet until now. While Spike is young, he is of that caliber. That, coupled with the fact he has slain two slayers, makes him is a formidable foe, indeed."

"Tell that to my ribs. What about this Gem of Amara?"

"Yes, well, frankly, that's a vampire myth, Kennedy. It's supposedly a gem set into a piece of jewelry, most likely a ring, that protects vampires from all of the things that can kill them. A kind of 'Holy Grail' for vampires. I don't believe it truly exists."

"So a vampire of Spike's caliber just happens to be in Boca del Infierno looking for something that doesn't exist? Pull the other one, Notty. The last thing I can afford to do is pretend that the ring doesn't exist when it might."

"Sunnydale is honeycombed with caves, Kennedy. It is unlikely you'll be able to find it if you searched. Perhaps Warren could be of assistance?"

Kennedy grimaced. "Yeah, maybe. If I want to blow something up. I'll figure something out."

Warren rolled over in the bed. That had been insane. He'd never imagined sex could be so... intense. Incredibly intense. The object of his musing was getting dressed. He started to get up, but after something down low twinged, decided to just lay there basking in the afterglow.

Then Anya began speaking, "Warren, that was acceptable intercourse. I do want you to work on your stamina. I know some tricks along those lines. Now, I am going to assume a standing Friday night date. That means we go out, not just stay here and have sex. Also, I think this place needs to be cleaned up. There are acceptable boyfriend standards, and this place falls very short of that. Further..."

Warren interrupted, "Anya, baby, the date thing's fine. We can have sex after the date. Plus I'll get the apartment cleaned up. I promise. Let's not get too extreme on what we expect from one another, okay?"

Anya gave him a considering look, then finally nodded. "Agreed. We'll talk about the rest of the requirements later." With that, she grabbed her purse and left.

Laying back down, Warren thanked God that he could sleep in until 11:00 am tomorrow...

**Bam! Bam! Bam!**

Warren groaned. He was exhausted. Last night had been... once again pretty much the answer to most of his fantasies.

**Bam! Bam! Bam!**

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" Let it not be her, Warren thought. He still needed at least a day of rest after last night, which he hadn't gotten the day before. He was sore in even more places. Warren carefully looked through the peephole, but someone had their finger over it. He was just about to go back to bed, when the pounding resumed.

B**BAM! BAM! BAM!**/B

Damn, it sounded like the door might fall off its hinges. Warren flung it open, then stared at the small, dark-haired figure who walked in past him.

"Geeze, Warren, this place is a pig sty. You seriously expect me to clean it?" Kennedy didn't look happy, which was too bad. For her that is.

"Kennedy, do you know what time it is?" Time to go back to sleep, Warren though grumpily.

"It's 7:10 AM. I need your help."

"What? Really? Err... what with?" Warren's emotions ran the gamut from excitement to apprehension.

"With a vampire. See, there's this nasty vampire named Spike who I ran into last night outside the Bronze. I managed to fight him off, but he almost beat me. And he was whining on about something called the 'Gem of Amara'. Notty says it's supposed to make a vampire invincible."

"Err... what do you need from me?"

"If this vampire's invincible, he probably can't be killed with a stake and can come after me in sunlight. Not something I want to see happen, know what I mean? If you have anything that could help even things up, I would be grateful."

Warren smiled. "How grat..."

"I won't kick your ass, Warren."

"Jesus, Kennedy, you're no fun. I wasn't even implying that. Okay, I was, but I was joking. Besides, I have a girl now."

"Little miss doesn't want to have sex with me?"

Warren shook his head, mystified. "I don't know what you're talking about, Kennedy. It's not as if you've met."

Kennedy started to open her mouth, then stopped. She visibly counted to ten, then said, "Look, you hooked up with Anya and won the bet. It sucked, you siccing Romeo on me, but all's fair, right? But let's not worry about that just yet. Do you have any ideas?"

Warren was still mystified. How did she know Anya's name? Then he dismissed it and concentrated on what Kennedy needed. I wonder if the net launcher would work, he thought. What he really wished was that he could get his blaster to work. Now that would be waayyy cool. "Can you give me some time, Kennedy? I need to look at some stuff."

Kennedy nodded. "Sure, but don't take too long. The last thing I want to do is run into this guy again without some trick up my sleeve."

Warren smiled. "I'll have you something by this afternoon. By the way, don't forget to swing by after classes and clean up the place. Unless you want to add a couple of days onto our bet... Please don't hurt me." Kennedy looked mad enough to kill him, Warren thought.

Kennedy stomped off without saying goodbye. Warren considered her retreating back thoughtfully... okay, her butt, but who's counting? That vamp must have her more jittery than she let on, he thought. Closing his door, he eyed his bedroom with regret before heading over to his work station to try to figure something out...

Kennedy stared at Warren with a murderous look on her face. "I swear to God, Warren, you cop even one feel, I'm going to tear you to tiny little pieces. Got it?"

Warren almost backed away, even with Kennedy completely tangled in the ropes. "I said I was sorry, Kennedy. I guess the net launcher needs more perfecting..."

"Just get me the fuck loose!"

Andrew, with silly grin, asked, "Warren, can I shoot Kennedy with the net launcher next time?"

Kennedy sent him a stare that was twice as murderous as the one she'd sent Warren. "Andrew, if you're still here when I get loose, I'm going to go through your backpack and destroy anything Star Wars related. Comprendo?"

Andrew gasped. Affronted, he said haughtily, "If you do that, I won't use the spell I learned to help Warren fix the blaster."

Warren stopped unfastening Kennedy to stare at Andrew. "You serious, dude? You figure out a spell?"

Andrew nodded, excited. "I, Andrew the Wise, have devised a spell that is a wondrous mix of power and delicacy that is guaranteed to allow the blaster to fire at least twice."

Warren's heart sank. "That's it?"

Andrew pouted. "That's one more time than it can now. If you could find me a powerful magical item, I could use it to power a blaster. I'm almost certain I could. I think so. Well, maybe."

Kennedy, from her position on the floor, said, "Less talking, more freeing."

Warren nodded and went back to freeing her. Finally, he was done. "Okay, babe, there you... eep!"

Kennedy grabbed him the shirt, lifting him a good six inches off the ground with one hand. "Don't ever do that again. Ever!"

Warren nodded. "I said I was sorry, Kennedy. You're not still mad about the other night at the Bronze, are you."

Kennedy slowly set him back down. Sighing, she shook her head no, then nodded yes, then shrugged. "Maybe. I don't know. I still think you cheated. But I lost, so fair's fair. I'll be over in a day or two to clean up."

Warren shrugged. "Look, if it bothers you that much, don't sweat it. I did get Anya out of the deal. Talk about someone who's a demon in the sack. Man!"

Kennedy gave him a calculating look. "I'd be careful if I were you, Warren. When you say 'demon in the sack' here in Sunnydale, there's a good chance you might be literally, rather than figuratively, right."

Warren swallowed nervously. He'd wondered about that actually. Anya was a pretty strange girl. But what a sexy body. And that thing she did with her tongue. Jesus, he got a hard on just thinking about it.

"Down, boy." Kennedy said, stepping away from him. She looked at Andrew, sitting in a chair a few feet away. "Were you serious about knowing a spell?"

Andrew got up out of the chair, rising to his full height of five feet, eight inches. "I, Andrew the Wise, master of magic..."

Kennedy sighed. "Andrew, do you _want_ me to hurt you?"

Andrew sat back down, deflated. "No."

"Do you know a spell?"

"Yes, but Grand Moff Tarkin won't want me to cast it. He said no more magic without permission." He glanced at Warren as if to see if he got the comparison.

Warren nodded, thinking the comparison of Notty to Grand Moff Tarkin was pretty fair. After all, they were both dangerous men with power. And spoke with British accents. And were tall, thin, and mean. Thinking hard about the comparison, he almost missed Kennedy's next comment.

"Okay, Andrew, do it. I give you permission. Get that spell out and get that blaster working..."

_The following day..._

Kennedy was done with class. Thank God. Now if she could just figure out a way to find Spike, kill him, and grab the Gem of Amara, she might actually be able to crack a smile. Sighing, she wondered where the hell Warren was. They'd arranged to meet in the southwest corner of the quad today so he could give her the weapon. He should have been here by now.

Yesterday, when he had told her he would have something by that afternoon, he had been full of it. That net launcher... It had sucked hard. Kennedy had no doubt the guy was almost as smart as he thought he was, but he still needed to learn that if you made someone a promise, follow through. Now she was hanging out in the wind...

"Do you have it?" Warren demanded as he caught sight of Andrew. He'd been waiting for the dweeb for the past hour and a half. Now Andrew had finally arrived at Warren's apartment.

After last night's fiasco, Warren had been more determined than ever to figure out something to help Kennedy with. His freeze ray and invisibility ray both would have worked fine, assuming he could find a reliable power source and in the case of the invisibility ray, an enormous diamond. Since he had neither, the point was moot.

When Andrew had said he knew a spell that could get at least two shots out of a blaster, Warren had been slightly interested. He'd let Andrew hang around for a bit even though he'd left the spell information and its components at home. The two of them had wasted some time playing video games, then Andrew had had an epiphany. He said he knew how to use a magical item to power the blaster. He was one hundred percent sure it would work. Such an item would provide almost unlimited shots. He'd even outlined to Warren exactly how it should work. They had both been so elated they had broken out the imitation light sabers and had an impromptu duel.

Unfortunately, their elation had only lasted until Warren had realized that they had no powerful magical objects. In point of fact, something of that nature might be even harder to get a hold of than a huge diamond. Andrew had been out of ideas as well, although he had mentioned that if Kennedy killed Spike, they could ask her for the Gem of Amara. Warren had thought that another pretty good idea, although realistically, the idea of Kennedy giving him a magical gem that made vampires invincible seemed slight. Regardless, for now, they were stuck powering a blaster up and using a spell on it afterwards as their best bet.

"Warren! Look! I'm here! I... who's that?" Andrew stopped and stared at Warren's other guest, who slowly unwound from the chair she was sitting in and walked up. Anya apparently didn't think much of Andrew from her frown of annoyance, but held out her hand anyway.

"I'm Anya. You must be Andrew. Unfortunately, Warren told me all about you. Do you still pee when you get excited?"

"Warren! You weren't supposed to TELL! You have me your sacred word as an honorary Jedi..."

"Andrew! For God's sake, don't be a dweeb." The last thing Warren wanted was for Anya to think he was a nerd. She had come over and basically taken his mind off Kennedy's problem for over two hours. It would have been even longer, but he'd started getting sore again after that long. "Did you bring it?"

Andrew drew himself up. "I, Andrew the Wise," he ignored the raspberry that Anya blew, "did in fact accomplish my mission. Here it is, the Spell of Valdar! Ta da!"

Warren sighed. "Okay, get ready to cast it."

Apprehensively, Anya asked, "What spell did you say?"

"The Spell of Valdar!!" Andrew showed even more enthusiasm the second time he said it.

Anya edged away. "Are you sure that's safe? Isn't there a pretty good chance it'll go kablooey?"

Andrew beamed, his earlier animosity gone. "Fair maiden, I, Andrew the Wise, will keep you safe. My skill at magic is legendary."

Anya moved towards the door. "I'm going to wait outside for a bit. Just call me when you're done casting the spell. Actually, wait ten minutes after you're done casting the spell, then call me." With that, she bolted out the door.

It wasn't exactly reassuring that Anya had disappeared, but Warren decided to take a chance. "Andrew, get ready to cast the spell. Don't argue. I'm going to use it to power the blaster..." Warren put his fingers in his ears for a moment. Finally, he took them out as Andrew was winding down.

"...and I'll pledge to serve you, Master, for all of my days if you will just give unto me, Andrew the Wise, a blessed weapon such as this. I..."

Warren growled, "Cast. The. Spell." Something finally managed to get through to Andrew because after one apprehensive look, he started to get ready.

"I'm ready, Captain!" Andrew announced. He looked so excited he was in danger of peeing his pants again. Not that Warren felt any less excited.

Warren's eyes gleamed with an answering excitement. "Then give her all she's got, Mr. Sulu!"

Screw it, Kennedy decided, she was heading home. Warren was going to disappoint her again. That was when she felt it. A vampire. Where no vampire could possibly be, since the entire quad area was bright and sunny.

"Hello, Slayer. I hope you've been keeping it warm for me."

Kennedy slowly turned around. Spike stood there, in the sunshine, leering at her. With a lascivious smile, he said, "Cat got your tongue? Don't worry, I'll tear it out here in a bit myself. Maybe I'll even make you eat it. After I screw your brains out."

Somehow, Kennedy gathered the shreds of her courage and fired back, "Sorry, Billy Boy, I'm strictly into chicks. No offense, but I doubt you have what it takes to rev my engine. So why don't you crawl back into your slime hole?"

"That it? That the best you can do? Did you know they say that a Slayer's marrow tastes almost as good as her blood? I didn't check that with the two I killed. I figure I'll use you for, what do they call it? Oh yeah, experimental data." He swaggered as he approached.

Kennedy could see the ring on his finger. That must be it, she thought. He certainly hadn't been wearing it the night before. I wonder why the idiot didn't just swallow it, Kennedy thought absently. Well, her only chance was to get the ring from Spike. Hopefully, her ribs had healed enough to take a new beating...

Riley walked through the quad, enjoying the sunshine. He had a certain girl on his mind. He wasn't sure if he was actually going to ask her out or not. But it was interesting thinking about it.

It was nice to have one normal thing in his life. Being an undercover demon hunter for a secret government agency wasn't all that it was cracked up to be. Between risking your life almost every night, the bruises, and all of the other similar perks that the job came with, Riley wasn't sure how much longer he wanted to continue with the Initiative. They'd already had a sixty percent wash out rate for the kill and capture teams. If Riley became just one more, he didn't think it would significantly impact things.

But, of course, there were his friends to consider. Riley thought that Graham was about ready to call it quits as well and request a transfer. Forrest, on the other hand, was entirely too gung-ho and still enjoyed the job. Although that might be because he got to beat the crap out of all different kinds of creatures. For a man from the mean streets of Detroit, that was no small perk. Riley actually preferred those assignments that didn't involve blood, guts, and the daily risk of dying to those that did.

As a matter of fac... Riley paused. He saw students hurrying away from a disturbance over at one remote corner of the quad. Moving forward, he saw two people fighting. The first, a platinum blond man, was dressed all in black and wore a long, leather duster. The other, was... Kennedy!

Riley immediately saw that Kennedy was losing. Despite her throwing punches that were unbelievably fast and powerful, the blond man was winning. He seemed to absorb unbelievable amounts of punishment without flinching. Then Riley saw something impossible: Kennedy stabbed the blond in the chest with what looked like a wooden stake. Nothing happened beyond the hole almost instantly healing.

Riley could tell Kennedy was in trouble. He couldn't tell if the thing she was fighting was a demon, vampire, or something in between. Pulling his kiyoga out of his pocket, Riley rapped it on a nearby tree to release the magnet, then, moving forward, swung it viciously at the demon's head. The weighted end swung out lightning fast and struck with satisfying force right at the base of the demon's skull, visibly caving it in and catapulting the demon forward past Kennedy.

Then Riley saw the impossible: The demon got up and turned towards him, its head visibly healing in front of his eyes. The thing now wore the familiar face of a vampire, all golden eyes, jutting brow, and fangs. Then it spoke. "Bloody hell, Slayer, how many more tricks are you going to pull out of your sleeve? Nancy boy here ain't going to do you any good. I'm going to kill 'im right in front of you. Then I'm going to kill you."

"Broken record, Spike, broken record," Kennedy taunted, despite being obviously injured. Riley winced as he saw all of the cuts and bruises she sported. Additionally, she held an obviously broken arm next to her body, as if she were protecting both it and her ribs.

Riley moved up beside her, ready to deal with the vampire. But he was still taken off guard by its blinding speed as it lunged at him. It took him off his feet despite Riley getting another good swing in on its head. The kiyoga bounced off its skull with a crunching sound, but it didn't falter. As it held him down, the vampire began to choke him. His vision was blackening as air became the most necessary thing on earth to Riley. He thought he saw Kennedy attack again, but Spike kicked her away and continued to choke him.

Then Spike was off of him and shaking and spasming on the ground nearby. Riley managed to get to his hands and knees. He saw the oddest sight yet. A man who looked a year or two younger than himself was holding an oddball weapon that looked very similar to a Star Wars blaster. Accompanying him was a kid who looked to still be in high school. And they were arguing. An attractive, dark-haired, girl hung back from them, looking warily at the object of their argument.

"I told you we shouldn't have taken the time to make it look genuine! That sinkhole Anya saw on the news was a dead giveaway that Spike had the gem!"

"But it was time well spent. We arrived just in the nick of time like heroes! We're like the _Millennium Falcon_ in _Star Wars_! You know, when Han flies back in and takes out Darth Vader right as he is about to kill Luke..."

"Han didn't take out Darth Vader! His own wingman did that when Han..."

The girl, who had been silent up until now, tapped on the older of the two's left shoulder and said helpfully, "He's getting up."

"Shit!"

Bzzzzzttttzzzzpppp! A blast of blinding white lightning burst from the barrel of the 'blaster'. Riley couldn't believe it. That looked like one of the new Initiative blasters, except a lot more powerful. How had this nerd gotten his hands on it? Then he watched, shocked, as the blaster started to smoke and spark. Okay, maybe not quite like one of our blasters, Riley thought. He dropped to his stomach on the ground.

"Get rid of it!"

"I am!" The one who had fired the gun took it and threw it as far as he could in the direction of the center of the quad, where it exploded in a flash of light and a huge BOOM. It left a good-sized crater in the ground, and a small blast wave struck them. Riley shook his head. Luckily, the fight had caused the quad to completely clear, otherwise the weapon would have done more than blow a huge hole in the ground.

Riley got back to his knees in time to see the vampire was still spasming, his entire nervous system fried. Kennedy, who had been lying on her back watching, managed to stagger to her feet. Drawing a knife, she proceeded to cut a finger off the vampire's hand, on which a ring lay. That drew an anguished scream from the vampire. One that got louder as she took the same knife and casually buried it up to the hilt in the vamp's crotch. Leaving it there, she pulled the coat off of the vamp and got up, holding it over one arm. The vamp started to smoke. Kennedy spat something that Riley couldn't hear, then turned and started to walk towards him.

Riley instinctively flinched, as did the two nerds, at her act. The vampire, who tried to get up, clutching his bleeding crotch, burst into flame and almost immediately turned into ash, blowing away in the wind. Kennedy walked to Riley, and with her good arm, helped him to his feet.

Riley asked, "Who are you people?"

Kennedy could feel herself tottering. Her helping the tall TA up had pretty much shot the last of her adrenaline-fueled strength. She was going to fall over any minute. That had been the most vicious and brutal fight of her admittedly short slaying career. Which reminded her.

Ignoring Riley's question, she staggered over to Warren, who watched her with wary eyes. Kennedy grabbed him and pulled him into a deep, passionate kiss. That seemed like the least she could do for his saving her life...

Warren managed to hang onto Kennedy as she went limp in his arms. Kennedy was completely out. She'd laid one hell of a kiss on him first, though. That kiss had rekindled the fires that Anya had...

Shit! Anya was standing right behind him! Turning, Warren met her glare.

"So, you _ar_e two-timing me with that cheap hussy! I should swear such vengeance upon you..."

Warren held up his hand placatingly. "Anya, baby, she kissed me. I didn't kiss her. Besides it was probably just gratitude. I did just save her life, after all..."

"_We_ saved her life!" Andrew exclaimed self-importantly, then drooped as he appeared to realize no one was listening to him.

Warren continued without missing a beat, "I promise you that she's a lesbian. You're more likely to have sex with her than I am no matter how many times I save her life." Again he ignored Andrew's "We!" Eyeing Anya, Warren saw her expression soften.

"Okay, I believe you, Warren." She then turned a considering eye on the girl he held. "You know, that was a pretty good bit of vengeance she enacted against Spike just now by stabbing him in the genitals, stealing his coat, and leaving him to burn alive in the sunshine. Not bad for an amateur."

From behind Warren, he heard the guy who had been helping Kennedy say in a much stronger voice, "Who are you people? I want an answer, now!"

Warren looked at the guy. If he hadn't just shot one of the most vicious vampires alive, not once, but twice with his wireless taser, which had subsequently exploded, he might have been intimidated by the guy's expression. Since he had, he wasn't. Well, not too much, anyway.

"We are rogue demon-hunters who are on a quest to aid the Chosen One. Gather round, my friend, and I will tell you a story about the creature known as the Vampire..."

"Andrew! Shut the hell up! Don't share with the civilian!" Warren had just enough time to realize that Kennedy was no longer unconscious when she joined him in his exclamation.

"Zip it, Andrew! And don't make me tell you again! Or else!" Kennedy snarled, tottering erect.

Warren shook his head. What the hell was wrong with the kid, anyway?

Kennedy still felt woozy, but her head was clearing. Her injuries were already healing, thanks to being the Slayer. Still, she needed to find Notty and get thoroughly checked out. Luckily, her radial, while fractured, hadn't completely broken in two. It should heal within a day or two provided she was careful. Just then, her musings were interrupted by an irate voice behind her.

"I demand to know who you people are in the name of the government of the United States of America!" Riley appeared to just then realize what he had said. He looked so horrified that Kennedy wanted to reassure him that everything would be all right. Unfortunately, she didn't get a chance. Grabbing his exotic club, Riley took one last wide-eyed look at them, then ran off.

Riley knew he had to report what had happened immediately. The way those people had handled the situation had been surreal. Kennedy had been beyond amazing, despite ultimately losing to that invincible vampire. Then the two... Riley could only call them nerds, had been so calm and matter-of-fact about the entire thing. They'd been arguing about _Star Wars_, for God's sake! While the vampire was still alive! Then one had casually shot it again with that damn super blaster, which had subsequently blown up. After that, the other girl had so calmly critiqued the way Kennedy had killed the vampire, that Riley had been dumbfounded. The final straw had been the high school kid giving Riley a completely nonsense answer. It had pissed him off so much that he'd blurted out the first threat he could think of to get them to give him a real answer.

Riley knew he was terrible at keeping secrets, despite extensive training. He had carefully avoided becoming close to anyone just for that reason. Socializing with only his own kind, Marines, had allowed him to maintain security. Now he was in the shit. Or was he?

Slowing down, Riley began to think. That group of... whatever the hell they were, probably weren't going to tell anyone about what had happened. They had worked quickly to shut up their most voluble member. Riley knew he should tell Dr. Walsh, the base commander, what had happened. But maybe he wouldn't. Was it because he feared what would happen to him if he did? Thinking it over, Riley decided that wasn't it. It was her. Kennedy. The vampire had called her 'the Slayer.' Whatever else she was, she was hell on wheels against vampires. And maybe more.

Riley remembered the stories, whispered by some of their captures. Tales of the Slayer. So many of them had asked, in surprisingly understandable English, as they were forced into a cell, if Riley and his men were working with the Slayer. The boogieman, Forrest said. A myth. But maybe not. Maybe this Kennedy was in fact the Slayer. It would be one more surprise that Sunnydale had to offer. Riley decided to keep things to himself for now, but to keep an eye on them. If something happened that he needed to deal with, he would do it then...

_The next day..._

Kennedy stalked through the hallways of the student union, looking for the right lounge. As she walked, she tried to ignore her itchy arm. The bone was healed, well mostly. But damn, it itched. Unfortunately, it was so deep inside that she couldn't scratch it and make it better. Her ribs still ached, but at least they didn't itch.

Everything had worked out okay in the end. Warren had managed to build a hell of a weapon with Andrew's help, even if it was still only good for two shots. He promised a better version very soon. One that hopefully wouldn't blow up no matter how many shots were fired.

Despite the success of their fight with Spike, Notty had been less than happy. Especially, once he had found out exactly how Warren had gotten the blaster to work. Apparently, the spell Andrew used was more than a little hazardous and far beyond his current skill level. Personally, Kennedy just didn't think it was that big of a deal. No one had died, after all, well except possibly for some worms. Well, and Spike. Notty had gone ballistic despite the lofty pronouncement from Andrew that he had gotten permission from Kennedy to cast his spell. Kennedy had had to do some fast talking with her Watcher to keep him from taking Andrew by the throat and choking him.

Unfortunately, Notty's unhappiness had needed an outlet. Which is why Kennedy was here right now. Notty had decided they needed some additional magical help to keep an eye on Andrew, even though she had given him permission to cast the spell for the blaster. He'd found out about a group that was meeting at the UC Sunnydale campus. A Wicca group to be exact. So he'd dispatched Kennedy to investigate. Whee.

And there wasn't anyone here. Great. She'd missed it. Spotting a girl still gathering up stuff that might be meeting-related, Kennedy decided to talk to her.

"Hi. I'm Kennedy. Did I miss the Wicca meeting?"

The girl, a blonde, blushed as she looked up at Kennedy from where she was kneeling. Kennedy wanted to tell her to pull her hair out of the way of what might be a pretty face. "I-I-I'm sorry, but you did. D-d-did you want to know anything about the group?"

The girl seemed to get her first real look at Kennedy at that moment. Instead of blushing, she went pale, and stared intently. While the shy thing was cute, the stalker thing wasn't. Kennedy got a little snippy. "Just if any of them are witches?"

"W-w-witches? W-w-we're not w-w-witches. That's silly."

Kennedy frowned. "Do you have a name? I might as well know to whom I'm talking."

"T-t-tara."

Kennedy leaned in close to Tara and smiled a sultry smile. "So when's the next meeting, Tara?"

The girl's face flamed anew. She got out, "N-n-next week."

Shit! "That's cool. If I need to find you, where do I look?"

The crimson of Tara's face deepened still further. Kennedy feared for her blood pressure. "I-I-I live in Mercer Dorm, room 237."

Grinning, Kennedy moved back. Yep, she still had it. "Bye now, Tara."

As Kennedy walked off, Tara whispered, "B-b-bye, Kennedy."

Tara Maclay watched the girl, who'd said her name was Kennedy, walk off. She felt stunned, as if someone had struck her, hard, across the face. Kennedy was so incredibly cute and confident. Watching her stalk back in the direction from which she came, Tara was hard put not to stare at the girl's butt shown off by skintight jeans. Beyond her physical attractiveness, though, her aura had flared like a nova, all swirling reds and yellows. So much power existed in such a small package. Tara wished she'd made a better impression on her, but her stuttering had once again made her look like a fool...

Kennedy knocked on Warren's door a second time. If he didn't answer the door right now...

It opened. "Hello, Kennedy." Anya's smile looked forced.

"Hey, Anya. Warren home?"

"No, but he'll be back in an hour and we're going to have sex."

Kennedy blinked. Overshare, she thought fastidiously. "I was just coming to clean, but if he's gone..."

"No, no, come in. Warren said for me to let you in and have you clean up things. Just be gone before he gets home. I'm still not sure why you are cleaning Warren's apartment. I have sex with him and you don't see me cleaning."

Kennedy gave Anya a sickly smile as she walked in. "Well, I owe him for incapacitating Spike for me." Anya eyed her skeptically, but let her comment stand unchallenged.

Kennedy's heart sank as she contemplated cleaning the apartment. Her Slayer healing had taken care of all of her injuries, which was good. If only it came with a cleaning package built in. Surveying the apartment, she almost groaned aloud. It was... horrific. Kennedy had seen slime demons that were cleaner. Dirty clothes and dishes covered the floors, furnishings, and counters. Pizza boxes, fast food bags, and empty drink cups were stacked up everywhere. What wasn't covered in debris or detritus was covered in dust. Kennedy figured she would be lucky to get the entire apartment cleaned one complete time during her week's servitude.

"What are you waiting for? Clean, clean." Anya waved at her impatiently. Gritting her teeth, Kennedy kept a smile on her face.

"I'm just trying to figure where to start," Kennedy said.

"That's easy. Gather up all of the laundry and dump it in those laundry baskets. Then start a load of laundry. He's got about ten or so that need to be done. Next, grab the trash can and pick up everything. After that, throw all of the dishes in the dishwasher and turn it on. Then..."

"Anya, I'm only here for an hour," Kennedy reminded her.

Anya gave her a haughty stare. "Since you're the Slayer, I would think you could work faster than anyone else. So go, work. I'll just keep watching this great show." With that, the strange girl sat back on the couch in the one cleared space in the room and went back to watching _The Price Is Right_ on Warren's TV.

Somehow, Kennedy resisted strangling the girl and got to work. She managed to do everything on Anya's initial list before she heard keys in the door. Kennedy didn't even wait for Anya's "Leave so we can have sex" before she flashed past Warren, carrying two bags of trash, which she dropped into the apartment complex's dumpster before heading up to her apartment to take a shower. Only six more days of cleaning left...


	4. Chapter Four—Halloween

**Chapter Four—Halloween**

"High Street Exporters. How may I direct your call?"

"Reginald Nottingham for Quentin Travers."

"Please hold for a moment, sir, while I connect your call."

After a moment, the call connected and a civilized voice came over the line. "Reginald, it's good to hear from you. How is the grand experiment going?"

"If you mean that balderdash with Kennedy and her band of miscreants, then I'm afraid it's a disaster." Damn the man, he knew this was utter chicanery, Notty thought moodily.

"Come, now, Reginald, I'm sure it's not that bad. How many has she recruited?"

"Three or four, depending on whether you consider the girlfriend of one of the young men to be involved. Quentin, I'm not happy with this. I consider it a complete waste of time."

"Well, that can't be helped, Reginald. If you would be patient, I'm sure you'll eventually come to the see the value of the relationships Kenn..."

"Doubtful. If I could just see how effective this has been in the past. All you've told me is that another recent Slayer did this and was very successful. I still don't understand why I can't see her Watcher's diaries. That's the purpose of the damn things, after all." And to find out what happened to that Slayer, how she died. Notty knew that would make him feel better. After all, it is the unknown dangers that fuel our fears.

"I'm sorry, Reginald, but right now that's... not possible. Perhaps if circumstances change, they can be made available."

"I am very unhappy with this situation, Quentin."

"Well, it's not as if you have much of a choice, Reginald."

"I wondered when you would bring that up."

"I have the support of the Council. You're lucky to still be a Watcher, Reginald. Blind chance made you the Watcher of a active Slayer. If you want to remain so, I would be very careful."

"Don't threaten me, Quentin. It's not a good idea." Especially after what happened to... Notty stopped, not even allowing himself to think that name. Never again.

"I'm not threatening you, Reginald. Heaven forbid. I'm merely reminding you of your duty. You do remember you have one, don't you?"

"Quentin, you can go sod yourself." With that, Notty slammed down the phone. I'm going to kill him, he thought absently. Perhaps not today, but definitely one day soon. It was a curiously liberating sensation.

Kennedy walked into her Watcher's apartment. "Notty? Are you here?"

He called down from the upstairs bedroom, "One moment, Kennedy, and I'll be right down."

As good as his word, Notty came down in less than a minute. In the meantime, Kennedy had sprawled on the couch. "Thank you for coming, Kennedy."

"Sure. So, what's up, Notty? Did you find out that despite Halloween coming up there are nefarious doings afoot?"

Notty frowned. "Of course not, Kennedy. As you well know, Halloween has become a night where almost all demons and vampires take the night off."

"So, you won't mind if I take the night off as well?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Warren says there some kickin' parties going on Halloween night. I thought I might go by a few..."

Notty sighed. "I suppose that would be fine. Your senses are sharp enough that you'll know if there are any vampires who are crass enough to go out on Halloween. Now, do you know why I asked you here?"

Kennedy started to shake her head, then stopped. Maybe... She ventured, "You want a report on how my friends are doing?"

Notty nodded in approval. "Excellent. Yes, I do."

Nervously, Kennedy stared at her hands. "Notty, I'm not sure..."

"Kennedy."

Kennedy blinked. Notty's tone carried a warning, one that made it perilous to disobey. Kennedy had only had that tone used on her once before, after a particularly stupid practical joke she'd played on Notty. He had not been amused. He'd been less amused when she'd told him to screw off. Notty had proceeded to take his belt and give her the beating of her life. The only beating of her life up to that point. Kennedy had been twelve at the time and gone up to her room and cried for hours. But she'd never openly defied her Watcher again.

Notty was a bit of a conundrum to Kennedy. Ever since he'd shown up at her home in Westchester, New York to take over as her tutor, she'd been curious about him and his past. But he was almost as much of a mystery now as he'd been then. Kennedy had only learned a handful of facts about him. But by the far the most important was that he was the most menacing man she'd ever met.

She still remembered a conversation she'd overhead following her beating. Her father had confronted Notty in the library that evening. Kennedy had crept down the stairs, attracted by the loud voices.

"_I won't stand still while you assault my daughter! Get out of my house!" The rage in her father's voice made Kennedy nauseous. He seldom raised his voice in the house and never at her or her mother. Still, she was aware that he was considered a dangerous man by the way other men treated him._

"_Mr. DaSilva, sit down. Sit down or you'll certainly regret it." The cold menace in Notty's voice had been a revelation. Even when he had beaten her, his voice hadn't contained anything like the sense of danger it did now._

"_That's better. Mr. DaSilva, should you be so foolish as to inconvenience me, you will have seen the last of your daughter."_

"_How dare you? Do you think you can hide her from _me_? The Council can't..."_

"_No, the Council can't. I can, however. The Council has handled you with kid gloves, allowing Kennedy to stay here with you and your family. Perhaps you could even find her, if the Council removed her. I am not the Council, Mr. DaSilva. I do not employ their methods. Mine work much better. Should you cause me to need to remove Kennedy, none of you will be alive to look for her. Do I make myself clear?"_

"_How dare you. You're a monster. I'll stop you. I know Blue Lou and..."_

_Notty's voice hardened even more. The sheer menace made Kennedy shake. "I am aware of your family's ties with Mr. Cipriani. However, don't be fooled into believing sentimentality will overcome self-interest with him. I have already made arrangements with his organization. Should I require it, they will deal with you and your wife. Feel free to call him if you like. No? Then, unless you have more questions..."_

_Her father's voice, once so strong and vibrant, sounded dead, defeated. "Just one. Why are you doing this? What do you want with my daughter?"_

_Notty's voice went from menacing to silky as he spoke, "Your daughter has a destiny. Whether she will fulfill it or not, I cannot say. I will do everything within my power to see that she has every possible advantage when it comes time. That includes preventing you from interfering with her development. I did not touch your daughter lightly, nor capriciously. She needs to learn discipline, a difficult task so long as she remains here. But as the Council has given its word that she is to remain here so long as you don't interfere, then I'll honor that word. I won't strike her again so long as she acts with dignity and honor. Do you understand me, Kennedy?"_

_Kennedy bolted back up the stairs. _How_ had he known she was listening? Hiding under the covers of her bed, she felt even more scared._

Staring into Notty's cold eyes, Kennedy relived those feelings from four years ago. He'd never hit her again. He hadn't needed to. "All right, Notty, what do you want to know?"

Notty smiled. "Anything that has stood out about any of them. Start with Mr. Mears. He's the one I'm most interested in just now."

Kennedy opened the door of her apartment. A blast of sound hit her as soon as she stepped inside. What the hell? Then she saw the culprits. Warren, Andrew, and Veruca lay draped over the couch and two recliners she'd bought, watching a movie. One in which the soundtrack seemed to be the most important part of the movie.

"Turn it down!" Kennedy shouted, trying to be heard over the din. As one, three heads turned to her, near identical looks in their eyes. Rolling her eyes, Kennedy walked over and grabbed the remote, lowering the volume to a reasonable level, to the groans of dismay of the audience.

"Kennedy!"

"Come 'on, roomie."

"It's _The Crow_! It has to be loud, babe."

"I thought we were making costumes tonight?" Kennedy asked.

Warren gave her a lazy smile. "Sure thing, just as soon as the movie's over. Hey, can you move over a little? I'm don't want to miss this scene."

Kennedy moved out the way and went into the kitchen. She made herself a couple of fat sandwiches, the headed back into the living room. She picked up Veruca's feet from one end of the couch, and sat down. Veruca curled up into a shorter ball, but that still left her feet too close to Kennedy and her sandwiches for comfort. Casually, Kennedy reached over and rubbed her hand lightly over Veruca's instep. Ha, take that. The werewolf sat up instantly, giving Kennedy a startled look. Kennedy gave her an innocent look back and took a bite out of her sandwich. Settling back, Kennedy began to watch the movie.

"I still say you can totally see where Brandon Lee gets it." Veruca said, as she cut more material for her costume.

"That's utter BS, babe. The director cut that direct footage. If you watch the commentary on the director's cut, you'd know that."

"Pardon me, _Warren_, if I'm not a nerd like you." Veruca's voice dripped disdain.

"Excuse me for living,_ fido_." Warren upped the ante.

Veruca shot to her feet. "What the fuck did you just call me, shithead?"

Kennedy sighed. "Sit down, Veruca. Warren, stop being a dick. Please?"

Veruca sat. Warren opened his mouth, thought better of it, and shut it again. Much better, Kennedy thought smugly. "Andrew, how's your costume coming?"

Andrew grinned excitedly. "I'm almost done. Then I'll put it on and you can tell me how cool it is." He seemed to be enjoying the idea of his costume being a secret.

"Okay. Warren, are you sure that the sororities are going to be well represented at these frat parties? Cause I'm not exactly a fraternity kind of gal, if you know what I mean."

Warren shrugged. "Kennedy, all of the parties are going to be hosted by frat houses. None of the sororities want to have their houses screwed up by these kinds of parties. So they team up with a frat and go in together."

Veruca asked, "What are you going as, Kennedy?"

"Sailor Neptune. She's one hot, tough, sexy lesbian girl. With green hair no less."

"That's hot, babe. I can see it now, you strolling along arm in arm with Sailor Uranus, about to make some..."

"Down boy. Veruca, what are you going as?"

"It took me a while to think up something. I haven't dressed up for Halloween since I was like six. But I finally decided on the Devil." She held up her costume, which was mostly complete.

It consisted of a tight red leather-looking body suit complete with a tail. There was a set of horns and a spiked collar that went around her neck.

"That's pretty cool, babe. But where's your costume?"

Veruca flipped him the bird, which made him laugh. Kennedy laughed too. Andrew looked like he didn't get the joke. Too bad for him, she thought.

"So where's Anya? I thought she was coming tonight?"

Warren shrugged. "Beats me. She said something about conflicting feelings about her former almost-boyfriend making her want to vomit, then disappeared."

Veruca shook her head. "There's something majorly off about that girl."

Warren mock scowled. "Just because she's going out with me..."

"Exactly." Veruca made a basketball shooting gesture. "She shoots! She scores!"

"Touché." Warren saluted Veruca with a grin.

Andrew burst out with, "What are you going as Warren, oh great inventor of the blaster?"

Warren slowly grinned. "I'm finished. Let me just try it on." With that, he disappeared into Kennedy's bathroom.

Kennedy called out, "You'd better stay out of my underwear drawer, Warren! I _know_ someone was in it recently."

Uneasily, Andrew shifted in his seat, staring at Kennedy. "Huh?"

Kennedy sighed. "Never mind, Andrew."

Veruca nodded. "All guys are pervs. No offense, Andrew."

Jerkily, Andrew nodded back. "None taken, oh hunter of the night. With the exception of the great Luke Skywalker, I cannot say nay unto you."

Kennedy exchanged an eyeroll with Veruca. Then Warren came out. He was dressed as Han Solo. "Where's Princess Leia?"

Kennedy had eyes for only one thing. "Is that a blaster, Warren?"

He waggled his eyebrows at her. "Or maybe I'm just happy to see you..."

Kennedy held up her hand imperiously. "Stop! Answer the question."

Andrew erupted. "You have a _real_ blaster as part of your costume? That's sooooo coool! I want one! Please, Warren. I'll iron your clothes for a month, even your under..." He stopped at he odd looks he was getting from everyone.

Warren laughed. "Sheesh. Relax, people. It's a fake. I haven't made another blaster yet. I will have one ready by tomorrow though. Andrew swears on his Luke Skywalker action figure that it'll hold for at least five shots this time."

Kennedy sneered. "I'd feel better if he swore by his Boba Fett figure... and I'm becoming as big of a nerd as you both. That sucks. I'm going to try on my costume."

Veruca got up as well. "Me, too." They headed towards opposite bathrooms. Kennedy closed her door and quickly got dressed up. She just threw on the wig, but would fix it better for the real parties.

Emerging from her bedroom, she stopped and struck a pose. "Oh, sir, my name is Michiru Kaioh, but you can call me Sailor Neptune, Soldier of the Deep Waters." Her costume consisted of a Japanese "sailor fuku," a schoolgirl uniform... out of a teenaged boy's wet dream. Its base was a white cap-sleeve leotard with an attached jade green sailor collar and extremely short pleated skirt, also in the same deep jade green. Accenting the collar and skirt were huge deep blue-green bows with trailing ribbons. She wore white gloves that extended halfway up her forearms, trimmed with jade. A green choker ribbon necklace with a gold star was around her neck. On her head, Kennedy wore a green wig. Covered mostly by the wig, but visible at her forehead, was a gold tiara with a green gem. On her feet were green pumps with green ribbons crossing over her ankles.

Warren whistled shrilly. "Hubba hubba!"

Then the other bedroom door opened. Warren's jaw dropped. Kennedy stopped and stared. Holy shit! With Veruca dressed like that, Kennedy just knew the parties were going to be fun.

Kennedy stopped the TA for her Pop Culture class. "Bill? Can I ask you a question?"

The tall, solidly built young man turned with an inquiring look on his face. "Sure thing. Uh, Kennedy?"

Sometimes, it helped to have an unusual name, Kennedy thought. "That's right. Do we have to actually watch those episodes of MacGyver this week?"

Bill nodded. "Sorry, but Professor Jackson's kind of a stickler for the rules."

Kennedy sighed. "It just sucks how he can turn what should be the most fun class into such a snoozefest."

Bill laughed out loud. "Just don't tell him that."

Remembering how he'd yelled at that girl, Kennedy grimaced. "I won't. Thanks, Bill."

"Sure thing. Let me know if there's anything else I can do."

Kennedy grinned and nodded. She headed out for her Psych 105 class with the 'Bitch Monster of Death.'

Kennedy listened to Professor Walsh as she commented on their papers. "Most of these were garbage. I want to see much better work or those of you that can will be lining up to drop this class."

Kennedy got her paper back and looked at her grade. A minus. Not bad, but she thought it would score higher. Thanks, Maggie, she thought sourly.

Kennedy caught the TA, Riley, giving her a stare. She still didn't know what his deal was, but there was definitely something off with him. The other day, when he had made his statement about wanting to know in the name of the United States government, Kennedy hadn't given it much thought. But Notty had pointed out that it was unlikely he would say something like that unless he had some kind of official standing, possible law enforcement, but more likely military, possibly as a reservist of some kind.

Riley did stand kind of stiff, Kennedy thought, like he had a ram rod up his ass. She shook her head ruefully. Be nice, Kennedy, she told herself, he did quite possibly save your life. And he hadn't gone shouting to the authorities, but she wasn't sure how much of that was fear of being called insane. Sunnydale seemed better than most places at hiding its head in the sand when it came to the supernatural.

Saved by the bell, she thought. Getting up, Kennedy headed out.

"Kennedy, wait up!"

She stopped as Riley jogged to catch up to her. "What's up, Riley?"

He appeared nervous. "About the other day..."

Kennedy shrugged. "What about it?"

Riley went on, "I haven't told anyone about what happened."

Kennedy gave him a steady look. "Good. That way no one thinks you're a nutjob. Don't worry about it, Riley, it's covered. And thanks for saving my life. That SOB was pretty nasty."

"Yeah, I saw. Why was that?"

Kennedy shook her head. "Need to know, Riley, need to know. I'll see you later." She felt his eyes on her back as she walked away.

As Kennedy walked down the quad, heading for the cafeteria, she saw a familiar face. Sara? Terry? Tara. That was it. She was talking to the hottest girl. Deciding to test the waters, Kennedy walked up to say hello.

"Hi, Tara. Remember me?"

The poor girl stuttered out her name. "K-k-kennedy. Of course, I remember."

Kennedy prodded. "So, who's your friend?"

Tara blushed. "This is Michelle. She's in my Wicca group."

Kennedy gave Michelle the once over. Almost perfect. All she needed was amber eyes, and she would meet all of Kennedy's requirements for the perfect woman. "Hi, Michelle."

The girl, who had been looking at Kennedy with interest, smiled. "Hi, Kennedy. How goes it?"

Kennedy gave her a slow, lazy smile. "It's going pretty good right now. You doing anything for Halloween?"

Michelle nodded. "We're doing a bake sale this weekend to raise money so that we can get the message of sisterhood out."

Kennedy nodded as if she were interested. "No running around naked in the moonlight or anything?"

The girl smiled flirtily. "Well, not for Halloween. We'll probably do a blessing on Sunday. It sounds like you're interested in Wicca. Let me give you my number and you can call me."

Kennedy smiled and nodded. "That sounds great. I'll definitely give you a call. Maybe even tonight."

"Sure, that would work."

Kennedy's mission was accomplished. "Well, it was nice meeting you, Michelle. Nice to see you again, Tara." As Kennedy walked off, she was exultant. Finally! I'm finally getting some action, she thought.

Tara watched Kennedy walk away. She felt like a fool. When Kennedy had come bounding up, so full of energy, to say hello, Tara's heart had sped up. The girl was just so attractive. But Kennedy didn't want to talk to her. It was Michelle she was interested in. Watching them flirt had been like getting pricked by thorns. That's what you get, she thought. You're a demon. You shouldn't even think about getting involved with someone.

Kennedy dreamed...

_Several dark forms slid through the night, undergrowth parting before them. They were hunting. Hunting dangerous prey. Prey which in turn, hunted them. Then they saw it. A demon._

_Kennedy turned to her squad. She could see them clearly through the light magnifying goggles she wore. Making two quick gestures with one hand, she let them know to split up and circle around, so it would be surrounded. She waited, giving them time to get around to the thing's other side. _

_Then she stepped forward, firing her gun The blast hit the great beast. But it shook it off. Driving forward, it raced towards her. Futilely, she fired again. Other blasts joined hers. Then, just before it was going to hit her, she was pushed to the side, out of its path. The crunching sound that followed told her that someone had paid the price._

_Scrambling to her feet, she pulled her pistol and fired repeatedly into the head of the thing, looking for a soft spot. She must have hit something, because it was down. Not taking any chances, she drew her blade and severed its spine. Only then did she check her fallen teammate._

_Dragging the demon back, Kennedy flipped the body over. Bill's dead face looked up at her..._

Kennedy sat up in bed. "Mother fucker!" What a crazy dream. Well, at least it probably wasn't a Slayer dream. TA's weren't exactly commandos.

_Kennedy flew through the air down a hallway. Mattresses lined the floor beneath her. More were piled up against the walls. She knew she was going to fly the furthest of any of the dwarves. She hit the mattresses and bounced around. Standing up in triumph, she held up her arms to her cheering comrades..._

"Son of a bitch! Goddammit! Stop making me dream! I have to be up in two hours!" Grumpily, Kennedy plumped her pillow, then settled back down to try to catch at least a lttle sleep. Fuckin' dwarves, she thought sleepily. What the hell was that all about?

"Wow, Kennedy, you look beat."

"Gee, thanks, Veruca. That's exactly what I need to hear when I have a date."

"You have a date? Who's the lucky girl?"

"Her name's Michelle. She's a friend of a girl I met the other day."

"I'm surprised you didn't go out with the other girl, too. You haven't exactly been partying hard."

"It's not like that with Tara."

"So, Michelle's gay, but Tara isn't?"

Kennedy paused. Was Tara a member? Maybe. There hadn't been an overt vibe, but she'd definitely seemed jazzed yesterday when Kennedy had stopped by. I wonder if it bothered her when I picked up her friend, Kennedy thought. She shrugged.

"I'm not sure. I'm ready for my lesson."

Veruca paled. "Umm... okay. Let me get my keys."

"Watch out for that car! Oh my God, we're going to die!" Veruca shrieked from next to Kennedy.

"Zip it up, wolf girl. I missed that car by two inches. At least! And we were only going... okay, maybe we were going a little fast, but we have seat belts. And airbags."

"Please don't kill me, Kennedy. I don't want to die. My life's not that bad."

Kennedy flipped her the bird. "Look, I'll just go down and turn around. See? Nothing to worry about..."

"Motherfucker!"

Kennedy finished her make up. She looked... damn good. That nap had done wonders for her bags. She gave a final shimmy, tugging up her tube top, then got ready to head out. She was meeting Michelle at the local coffee shop, then they were going out for dinner...

"And some skank dripped her scented candle all over my woman power shrine. That totally sucked. I love how we are getting the message out to all of the sisters. We have to work together to reform this world..."

"Yes, my daddy thinks that money makes the world go around. I tried to tell him last week about the deeper meaning of life. You know? Not everything is about corporate greed and the destruction of the natural world..."

"I would never wear the skin of an animal. Well, except for my shoes, but those are from cows, who are at least being eaten. Imagine wearing fur though. I just shudder to think about all those cute little minks being murdered for their furs..."

Kennedy slowly walked back to her apartment. Talk about a bust. Tonight had been the worst date she'd ever had. Including that time when she was fourteen and got caught playing naked twister with her second cousin Shellie by Notty. Although she wasn't sure that would qualify as a date. But tonight was still worse.

Michelle had been the most spoiled, liberal, opinionated, airheaded bitch that Kennedy had every met in her entire life. She was so divorced from reality that if she had to earn a living after graduation, she was completely doomed. Kennedy decided with a bitter laugh that Michelle was one of those lipstick lesbians that would switch back as soon as things got tough. She'd probably end up married with three kids, fat by the time she was thirty.

Maybe I should have gone and talked to Tara before I called Michelle, she thought absently. At least she could have clued me in about what a loser she was.

"So how'd your hot date go?"

"My hot date turned out to be ice cold. The only hot part was the air that was filled her empty head."

Veruca laughed out loud. "Okay, now you sound like a guy. Did you at least get laid?"

Kennedy shook her head grumpily. "Fuck no! After I told her she was a complete idiot and that she needed to get a job, the chances of getting laid were slim to nil."

"You didn't."

Kennedy nodded. "Oh, I did. And I told her about the fur coat I have at home made with dozens of matching minks."

"Crap, Kennedy. Wait, you have a fur coat?"

Kennedy shrugged. "I inherited it from Granny Bettis. She died a couple of years ago. She must have been a hundred and something. Anyway, I think the coat is older than she was. I've never worn it. If I did, and one of those paint-throwing psychos got near me, I'd probably kill them. Come to think of it, maybe I'll have it shipped here."

Veruca shrugged. She started to fidget.

Kennedy asked, "Okay, what's up? You're acting awfully antsy. Not going to miss the parties tonight, are you?"

"And miss out on the chance to show my tits off to a bunch of horny frat guys? It's not that, I just..."

"What is it, Veruca?"

"I had the oddest feeling that someone was following me the other night. Seeing how this is Sunnydale, that's not exactly uncommon. Still, it felt like personal interest, not random violence. Know what I mean?"

"Maybe. You see anyone?"

Veruca shook her head. "No. I'm not exactly a professional at this, you know."

Kennedy put her hand on Veruca's shoulder. "Look, tonight, we'll stay together and make sure to be safe. Besides it's a dead day for the supernatural."

Veruca smiled and said, "That sounds good. Thanks, Kennedy."

Kennedy flashed a smile. "No need. I owe you for risking life and limb teaching me to drive. So you think I'll be able to get my license by next week?"

Veruca's smile dimmed. "Well... umm... we'll see."

Cain stood there, watching the apartment. The blonde girl was the wolf. He'd missed her last time because of her friends, but he wouldn't next time. And if her friends kept her in a cage, well that would just make it that much easier. Her pelt was worth big money. The market was only going up. He would keep a low profile for now. It was nearly a week until the full moon. At least accommodations were cheap in a town like Sunnydale.

Kennedy went inside. So this was Willy's place, she thought. Pretty unimpressive. Demon. Demon. Vampire. Demon. All of them stared at her when she walked in. There were several sneers and jests about how she'd taste. And they weren't talking about eating her. Yuck. Well, let's get this over.

Walking up to the bar, Kennedy pulled a short sword from under the long leather duster she wore and laid it on the bar. The bartender, a slimy-looking little guy gave her a wary stare. "Can I help you?"

"Give me a vodka tonic."

"Got any ID?"

Kennedy picked up her sword and cut off the head of the vampire that was sneaking up behind her. It turned into dust, coating the occupants of the nearest tables.

Turning back to the bartender, she saw that he had a drink on the bar. Picking it up, Kennedy took a long drink. Oh my God, that's good, she thought. Then she set up to make her announcement.

"Hello, everyone. I just wanted to introduce myself. I'm Kennedy, the Vampire Slayer. Any of you thinking that you can just snack on the locals, think again. I catch you out hunting, I'll stake you or worse. Just like I did Spike."

One of the demons, a yellow one with spines on his head and arms, shouted, "That's bull. You didn't kill Spike. He'd rip you to pieces."

Kennedy whirled around in the coat. "Anybody recognize this? Spike took it off a dead Slayer. I took it off of him right after I stabbed him in the crotch with a knife. Then I tossed him into the sunlight. Too bad for him, having that sun allergy and all."

Kennedy heard the murmurs talking about how that sure did look like Spike's coat. Then she heard something that made her move forward. She stuck her sword under the green horned demon's chin. "What did you say? Repeat that please."

He gave her a sickly smile as she pressed harder. "Uhh, I just said that even the Slayer wasn't able to kill Spike."

"What Slayer? Was there another Slayer here?"

He nodded. "Sure is. Ain't seen her around much lately, but she's been hell on wheels since she got to Sunnydale three years ago."

The other Slayer had lasted three years? And was still around? Yikes. Kennedy gave the room a menacing stare. "Anyone else know about this Slayer?'

One of the vampires started to sneak out. Kennedy threw a stake left handed and dusted him. "Anybody else?"

She walked back over to the bar. The bartender gave her an obsequious smile. "What's your name?"

"Willy. This is my place."

"You must be so proud."

He shrugged. "It's a living."

"Whatever. Anything going on, Willy, that I should know about?"

"Nope. It's been pretty calm."

"What do you know about the other Slayer?"

He looked paler. And scared. "She's not around much anymore. Truth is, I ain't seen her in months, not since this summer. She busted up the place back in June. I heard she was off at college or something. Shouldn't you know more about her than I do?"

Kennedy shrugged. "Just checking that you're telling me the truth."

Kennedy turned and headed out. Well, that had been a bust. Even this bar, which Notty had identified as a hotspot, didn't have anything going on. The town was just dead. Probably a good thing too, or Notty wouldn't have wanted her to party tonight. Which would have been a damn shame. Now, though, she could go out and have fun with a clear conscience. Of course, there was also the mystery of the other Slayer.

Kennedy let herself into Notty's place with her key. She had on her Sailor Neptune costume, which had drawn a fair number of whistles and catcalls on the way over here. She was meeting the rest of her friends over at the quad before hitting fraternity row.

"Notty? You here?"

"What is it, Kennedy?" He came out of the bathroom, wearing a robe. He was drying his hair with a towel. "What on earth do you have on?"

"It's my Sailor Neptune costume. You know, for the parties tonight? I'm sorry to interrupt your shower."

He gave an impatient shake of his head. "It's fine. Did you find out anything interesting at Willy's Place?"

"Maybe. Nothing was going on. But I heard there was a Slayer here."

His gaze sharpened. "When? How long ago?"

Kennedy shrugged. "As recently as last June. She busted up Willy's bar, according to the man himself"

Notty looked thoughtful. "That doesn't make sense. You were called in May. That means the former Slayer died then. How long had they been in town?"

"Three years or so."

"What! That's impossible. I haven't heard anything from Qu... I haven't heard about a Slayer being here, certainly not for that long."

"Notty, they were acting pretty scared of her. I mean, I went in there and laid down the law, but I think the only reason I didn't have to kill a lot more of the vamps and demons than I did was because they were already pretty intimidated."

"Did anyone say where she had gone or what her name was?"

"Willy said he'd heard she'd gone off to college. I didn't think to ask for her name."

Notty looked thoughtful. "I wonder. Could she be on campus? Here?"

Kennedy shrugged. "I haven't seen anyone while patrolling. But it's only been a few weeks. And it's a good-sized campus. Plus, if she's been mostly concentrating on the town..."

"Keep an eye out. We need more information."

"Notty?"

"Yes?"

"Can't you just call up the Council and ask about the Slayer that was here?"

Notty shook his head. "For whatever reason, the Council is keeping me in the dark. I have not been able to elicit any information either official or unofficial. They are keeping a tight grip on things."

"Is that normal?"

"No, it's not."

"Do you want me to..."

"Go have fun, Kennedy. Take tomorrow off. Monday is time enough to find out more about this."

"Night, Notty."

"Night, Kennedy."

Notty slowly gathered materials for research. A Watcher's duty was never done, after all. He was thinking about the information that Kennedy had provided. So, Quentin did lie to me, he thought, unamused. There was another Slayer in town, or at least had been until recently. One who had been alive even after Kennedy had been called. How that was possible, he didn't know. But he would find out. Oh yes, he would indeed. Notty decided to keep his knowledge to himself for now. But eventually, he would have another little talk with Quentin. One that the man wouldn't enjoy half as much as their previous one. Sitting down, Notty began to ponder the mystery of two Slayers existing at the same time.

"So which place is first?" Kennedy asked.

Warren grinned. "Well, because I still sense your doubt, I figure we'll swing by Tri-Delt. They should at least have someone manning the phones there."

"Sounds good. Still no Anya?"

Warren shook his head. "She doesn't get the entire Halloween thing. Plus you have to spend money on a costume, something she's firmly against. I told her it was about dressing up as cool heroes and hot chicks. She did say she would think it over and maybe meet us later."

"You look good, Veruca," Kennedy commented. Just nothing like the devil, she thought silently. The red leather body suit that Veruca wore was cut a bit lower than it had first appeared, accentuating the girl's bust a lot. Add to that how high cut it was, and the fish net stockings and boots she wore, and she looked more like a dominatrix than a devil. The spike collar and wristbands only made it worse. I should have gotten her a whip, Kennedy thought absently.

The girl grinned. "Well, all the guys seem to like it."

Kennedy smiled at Andrew. "So how's it going, Jedi Skywalker?"

Andrew burst out with, "Noooooo! I'm Padawan Skywalker! I haven't made Jedi Knight yet! Everyone keeps making that mistake!"

"Except me."

"Except Warren."

Kennedy just shook her head. Nerds will be nerds, she thought. Oh well, bring on the sororities!

They group was strolling along a walk way towards their first stop, Delta Delta Delta. Walking up to the front door, Kennedy rang the doorbell. A blonde girl opened it up, dressed in a medium length skirt and a sweater. She was pretty in a Susy Homemaker kind of way. She said, "Delta Delta Delta, can I help ya, help ya, help ya?"

Kennedy stopped, dumbfounded. Was she for real?

"Just kidding, guys. I'm Mandy, by the way. We do have a sense of humor about that."

Warren smiled at the girl. "Just wanted to show my friends one of the best sorority houses on campus. Which frat are you partnered with tonight?"

Mandy smiled. "We're partnered with Alpha Delta. They do a great haunted house." Mandy looked them over, her smile dimming slightly as she took in Veruca's costume. "Were you thinking about pledging?"

Veruca opened her mouth, but Kennedy quickly grabbed her arm. "No, just wanted to stop by and say hello. Bye, Mandy." With that, she took off, dragging her roommate along. Andrew and Warren ran after them.

"Crap, Kennedy, I wanted to tell Barbie back there where to stick it."

Kennedy rolled her eyes. "Be nice, Veruca. 'Barbie' was... okay, not cool, but she wasn't that bad."

"Whatever, let's party! I got to be at my gig in an hour to help set up."

They were walking down another sidewalk towards Alpha Delta, checking the costumes of the various people walking by and having an impromptu judging contest.

"I liked the girl in armor myself. Very bitchin'." Kennedy announced.

Warren laughed. "Sure thing, babe. Me, I'm for that hot little blonde in the cat suit."

Veruca rolled her eyes. "Whatever, I..."

Just then, a group of guys dressed up like commandos crossed their path, breaking out of the bushes to their right. They all wore goggles and ski masks, and carried odd-looking guns.

Veruca looked puzzled. "I wonder what those guys are supposed to be?"

Andrew looked just as puzzled. "Maybe they're Tom Clancy commandos. But I don't know from which book."

Warren grabbed the sleeve of Kennedy's dress. In a low voice, he said, "Those guns were real."

Kennedy stared at him. "What? You're kidding. How would you know?"

"I'm not joking, Kennedy. They're just like my wireless taser, except more polished. Really polished actually. I don't know what's going on, or why guys like that would be out here, but please believe what I'm telling you."

Shit! Kennedy remembered her dream. About being a commando and hunting a demon in the dark with some kind of gun that shot out electricity. And finding a demon that it didn't work on. If any of it were true, then all of it might be true. Remembering Bill's dead face staring up at her, she decided that she needed to act.

"You guys head to the party. I'm gonna follow them."

Veruca grabbed her arm. "Be careful, Kennedy." Behind her, Andrew and Warren both looked worried.

She flashed them a smile. "Don't worry guys. Nothing's going to happen."

Warren watched Kennedy move off. Should he have given her his gun, he wondered? Maybe. Especially since it was now fully functional, just like a certain Next Generation android. Warren hadn't been lying when he had told everyone that the blaster he had on the other night was a fake. But with Andrew using that spell and casting it on the power source, his current one was not. If Andrew was right, it was good for at least five shots.

Screw it, I'm going to follow her, he thought. She may need my help. "Hey guys, I forgot that I left something at my apartment. I'll catch up to you at your gig at Delta Zeta Kappa, Veruca. Have fun." He didn't give them a chance to argue, but took off back towards his apartment. Once out of sight he would circle back around.

Veruca stood looking out after the running figure of Warren. Great, he leaves me alone with douchebag. She winced as Andrew began to squeal, "Oh, Mistress of Pain, we should go forth and have fun at yon party..."

"Andrew, shut it. Or I'm going to 'mistress of pain' you. Got it?" Eyes big, Andrew nodded quickly. Mistress of Pain? What the hell is that kid's problem, she thought.

Kennedy hurried through the undergrowth, trying to be as quiet as possible. Which wasn't as hard as it sounded. While Notty had only given the most cursory training in this area, because of the explosion in population in urban areas since the middle of the 20th Century, as a Slayer, Kennedy already had a natural edge. Plus she'd played hide and seek as a child all over the wooded estate her family owned with various cousins. Kennedy was a fierce competitor and hated to lose, even at a child's game. So at age eight, she'd been working on how to move quietly through all types of terrain. Well, what terrain was available on a fairly well-maintained estate.

She felt rather than saw the darker figure ahead of her. Dropping to the ground with a silent curse as she felt mud under one knee, Kennedy watched him. He was creeping forward, towards a well-lit clearing. Kennedy moved forward right along with him. There was something there.

Then she saw it. It was a Dzunga Beast, one of the most dangerous demons that she knew of. She could tell by the large horn on it's forehead and the even larger... Kennedy decided not to dwell on that particular aspect of the demon. The chances of it finding a mate now were pretty slim. Very uncommon, Dzunga Beasts hunted all types of prey, usually sticking to the more remote regions. They were often the reason behind missing hunters and hikers. What it was doing in Sunnydale, Kennedy had no idea, but she blamed the Hellmouth.

Worst of all, all she had on her was a stake. She'd left the rest of her weapons in her room, including the shortsword she'd carried into Willy's Bar. Right now, having that or at least a nice-sized combat knife, would be a huge plus. Or maybe a boarspear, remembering Notty's lecture.

Kennedy moved forward slowly, until she was even nearer the man. He looked like he was about to make his move.

Veruca stared at the bowl of grapes that were supposed to be eyeballs. This was supposed to be a bitchin' party? Maybe we're too early. Then seeing Andrew's bored expression, she decided that it was just sucking. "What do you think of the party so far, Andrew?"

He opened his mouth and started to speak, then stopped. Shaking his head, he said, "It's lame."

"I agree. Let's get out of here. I have to be at my gig soon anyway."

Shit, Warren thought in disgust, I should never have bothered trying to help Kennedy. She's probably back at fraternity row by now, with the others, wondering where I am. That's what I get for trying to be the hero. Warren wondered if there was any way to get more lost.

When he'd taken off back towards his apartment, Warren had been certain that he could easily find his way. After all, he was intimately familiar with the area around UC Sunnydale. At least the areas with buildings and people around them. The wooded areas, he was much less familiar, other than spending the occasional afternoon playing live action D&D there.

It hadn't helped him find his way either back the way he'd come from or towards Kennedy. Hearing a twig snap, Warren jumped. He hoped he didn't run into any of the nastier denizens of Sunnydale's night life. While vampires and certain demons were at the top of the food chain, there were a host of other smaller, but still dangerous creepy crawlies running around Sunnydale. And not all of them were intelligent enough to give a rat's ass over the crassness of Halloween.

"He can't come in."

Veruca rolled her eyes. "He's with the band."

The hunk crossed impressive arms and looked stubborn. "I don't care. He's a high school kid. And a nerd. He's not coming in."

Veruca decided to up the ante. "Look, if you want a band playing tonight, you'll drop the crap. I'm the lead singer and if I don't go in, Shy's not playing."

The guy stared at Veruca, then dropped his gaze to her impressive cleavage. She rolled her eyes. Finally, he said, "Okay, but he'd better not talk to anyone."

"Fine. Let's go, Andrew." Veruca grabbed his arm and dragged him after her.

"Thanks, Veruca, for defending me when that guy called me a nerd..."

"Zip it. You are a nerd. But you're Kennedy's nerd, which kinda makes you my nerd. Just stay out of trouble. Got it?"

He nodded his head rapidly. "Do you think they have any Romulan Ale here, Veruca?"

As the man stepped out of the underbrush, he fired at the Dzunda Beast. The blast hit it directly in the side, making it jump, then spin around. Roaring a challenge, it took off towards him. Other blasts hit the creature, fired from behind and to the side, but it wasn't distracted from its prey. It was almost to him, and about to trample him, when Kennedy threw the three pound rock she'd picked up, bouncing it off its head at a hundred and fifty miles per hour.

The Dzunga Beast stumbled to its knees, slightly stunned. The commando, who appeared to lack any vestige of common sense, moved forward towards it, apparently to shoot it again. Kennedy grabbed his belt from behind and tossed him back through the bushes behind her. Bill, if that was who that was, was safe. Now to get the other.

Then she saw the Dzunga get up. It was pissed. And apparently, she was the source of that exasperation. Making steam engine sounds, it took off towards her with another roar. Kennedy drew her stake, and waiting until the last minute spun out of its way, while simultaneously planting her stake into its back.

Landing on her feet to one side, Kennedy fingered the rip in her costume. That horn had come way too close to comfort. And the thing was coming back around. She was conscious of black clad figures at her back. Turning to one, she said in her best Japanese-accented English, "Sir, may I borrow your knife, so that I may defeat the beast?"

Mouth open, the man handed Kennedy the requested item. She headed right at the damn thing. One thing she remembered from Notty's lectures was that while the Dzunga Beast was incredibly strong and durable, it did have a weakness, one more easily taken advantage of than its spinal cord. That was the second 'horn' that it had dangling from between its legs. As it flashed towards her, Kennedy dove between its legs, while simultaneously slashing up with the borrowed combat knife. As she stabbed, she thought, _What the hell_, and shouted, "DEEP SUBMERGE!" Fortunately, the knife was razor sharp, and she had only minimal difficulty in emasculating the rampaging creature.

With a shriek of mingled rage and pain, the thing collapsed. Kennedy didn't wait around for thanks, but instead ran as fast as her feet would carry her back towards campus. The last thing she wanted to do was tangle with a bunch of military types. While she thought she could take them, getting zapped by a taser wasn't fun. Spike could attest to that.

She stopped after a second, and looked over her costume. It was pretty much fucked, Kennedy thought moodily. The rip wouldn't have been a big deal, but between crawling around on her stomach and sliding on her ass, it was covered in mud, grass stains, and something else that frankly she didn't want to know about. Well, I guess I'm heading home to change.

Pushing his ski mask up over his head, Graham stared in the direction of the figure that had just killed the nastiest looking demon he had every seen. What was he going to tell Professor Walsh?

"So, Miller, how does it feel to get saved by Sailor Neptune?"

He turned towards his teammate at the joking question. "What do you mean, Gates?"

Forrest's teeth gleamed in his dark-complected face. "I have two nieces who are into anime. That, my friend, was Sailor Neptune, one of the helpers of a teenage anime heroine named Sailor Moon."

Graham's jaw dropped. "You're kidding." Forrest's grin deepened. "You're not kidding?" He put his head in his hands. "Why doesn't stuff like this ever happen to Finn?"

"Cause Finn is too anal retentive to allow it. Tailor, you okay?"

Bill Tailor laughed, then said, "Sure, if you can say getting thrown into the bushes and almost losing my taser is okay. Miller, maybe this is your watch, but you didn't get tossed around by the same anime heroine. I'll never live this down."

Both men nodded in commiseration. Laughing, Forrest said, "I hear you, brother. Well, I think it's time to call it a night..."

RRRROOOOAAAAAAARRRR!

All three men turned as one to the sight of yet another of the enormous reptilian demons facing them. The only difference between it and the last was that this one, based on its lack of distinguishing genitalia, seemed to be female. And probably the mate of the other.

It doesn't look happy that its mate is dead, thought Graham absently. Making a quick gesture with his left hand for his squad to fan out, he drew his automatic with his right. At that moment, Graham really, really wished those Desert Eagles had already come in. Facing something that looked like an upright reptilian rhinoceros with only a 9mm Beretta wasn't good.

RRRROOOOAAAAAAARRRR!

Holy shit! What the fuck was that, Warren wondered. It had sounded like it was coming from right next to him, but luckily that was just his imagination. And his fear. Don't forget your fear, he told himself. He'd almost peed his pants, making him forevermore unable to give Andrew a hard time. Luckily, he hadn't quite.

Then he heard the sounds of fighting. Bestial growls and snarls were intermixed with yells, curses, and at least one scream. Shots were fired. First a couple, then a flood of them. Hurrying forward, Warren came to a clearing. It was hard to make out, but it looked as if the commandos were fighting a huge demon. There was no sign of Kennedy. Then the moon came out from behind some clouds, flooding the clearing with light.

Warren couldn't believe how big the damn thing they were fighting was. It stood at least seven feet tall and must weigh in at close to three-quarters of a ton, none of it fat. It looked vaguely reptilian, like a huge, squat, upright crocodile with a shorter snout. Not that it had any less teeth than a croc, Warren thought, as it snapped at one of the figures who were dancing around it. An enormous horn, like that worn by a rhinoceros completed the picture.

The figures dancing around it were just making it angrier. Despite being shot multiple times, it didn't seem the least bit affected. Warren started to take a step into the clearing, then stopped. Don't be stupid, he told himself. That thing will kill you. He was smart enough to know that the commandos wouldn't be using pistols if their blasters had any effect on it. Oh, God, I don't want to be a dead hero, Warren thought. There wasn't any guarantee his weapon would have any more effect on the thing than those others had.

But if he didn't, all of those guys were going to die. At that moment, one of them was struck a stunning blow by a huge, taloned hand and hurled away into the underbrush. Warren made his decision. Pointing his weapon with shaky hands at the thing, he mouthed a silent prayer: Please, God, don't let me die when I've finally got a girlfriend. Then he stepped into the clearing.

The creature knocked another of the commandos spinning. Before it could take a step towards the fallen man, Warren fired. Then he fired again. And again. Each blast lit up the clearing like a bolt of lightning. And apparently blinded the commandos from their curses as they tossed their now useless night vision goggles down.

Holy shit, Warren thought, that thing's tough. At first he thought the blasts didn't have any effect, but as each subsequent blast hit the thing, it screamed louder and louder. It looked like it was being cooked alive. However, it was still moving. Warren fired twice more in rapid succession. The commandos had backed off all the way back by him. One had pulled the injured man away. Badly watering eyes tried to follow what was happening.

Doesn't anything kill this thing, Warren wondered? It's entire body was steaming and the greasy smell of rancid cooked meat filled his lungs. Its mouth opened, and a long tongue slowly slid around rows and rows of razor sharp teeth that would have made a great white proud. Coughing and choking, Warren fired twice more, but it still didn't stop, although it did slow. If he had unlimited shots, Warren thought, he might have been able to cook it alive. Unfortunately, he didn't. He was going to die and never get another chance to spank Anya's hot little... Warren was brought out of his reverie when the blaster began its familiar cycle of self-destruction. Sparks and crackles came from it. Momentarily more afraid of his blaster than the thing in front of him, Warren threw it in the general direction of the demon and ran. Waving his arms wildly, he cut through the startled commandos. "Get the hell back! It's going to blow!"

He made it about ten steps, then fifteen, when the world went white. Warren flew through the air more than twenty feet, narrowly missing a tree, instead landing in a relatively thick patch of tall grass. God, he hurt. And he was lying on something hard. Warren twisted it out from under him. Part of one of the blasters that those commandos had been using. It looked like it had been bitten in half. Warren stuck it into the waistband of his pants.

He started to get up, then remembered those commandos. Warren decided that discretion was the better part of valor. He squirmed on his belly to the edge of the grass, then, getting to his feet and staying low, he ran like the hounds of hell were on his heels. Behind him, fires were starting up.

Andrew watched Veruca sing. She was probably pretty good, he thought, but it wasn't his thing. However, all of the fraternity guys who were gathered around the stage and staring up at Veruca seemed to like her. Disgruntled, Andrew looked over at the bartender who had refused to serve him after he'd asked for a Cardassian whiskey. Isn't anyone a fan, Andrew wondered?

Andrew was thinking about leaving, when he noticed the drummer. He seemed really good at his job. Staring at the sweaty shirtless guy, Andrew hitched up his pants and decided to stay put for now.

Graham glanced back behind him Jones and Berman were putting out the last of the fires. He knelt next to a silent form. "Bill! Are you all right?" Graham carefully checked his teammate. Bill had been a little too close to the blast that had killed the demon and was unconscious. At least he has a steady pulse, Graham thought. He started to check Bill's pupils for a concussion, when Bill groaned and opened his eyes.

"What happened?"

Forrest, who knelt on Bill's other side, looked grim. "We had our second 'intervention' of the night."

Bill stared up at them with wide eyes. "Yeah, I remember. He had one of our blasters."

Graham shook his head. "Not one of ours. Not unless someone's souped them up about five hundred percent while making them more unreliable than a muzzle loader."

"It overloaded, didn't it?" Bill asked, still looking groggy.

Forrest answered, "It sure did. Whoever made it doesn't have the polarity right or something. I'm not sure. But it blew like a damn satchel charge. That creature_ and_ its mate were both blown to bits. Professor Walsh's going to be pissed."

Graham shuddered. "You think she'll be madder about that, or that we were rescued by two characters out of _Sailor Moon_ and _Star Wars_?" Neither of his teammates said a word, instead exchanging silent glances full of trepidation. "That's what I thought. We might as well get back and tell her. And Finn. Goddammit, he's going to have a field day."

Kennedy hurried back towards the place where she'd fought the Dzunga Beast. Something must have happened. At first she hadn't been sure, hearing the faintest sounds in the distance that sounded like gunshots. Then she'd heard that explosion. Now she was kicking herself. She _knew_ Dzunga Beasts traveled in mating pairs during fall. She shouldn't have assumed that just because they're rare, it was alone. She was a fool and just might have gotten all of those men killed.

She was heading around a tree when she stopped, seeing something unexpected. "Warren? Is that you?"

The dark figure that she had heard vomiting staggered to his feet. "Kennedy? Where were you?"

"I killed a nasty demon for those commandos. What happened to you?"

"I killed a nasty demon, too. For those same guys. I guess there was another one."

Warren had killed a Dzunga Beast? Kennedy didn't know how he had d... "You brought a blaster with you!" It sounded like an accusation, which she didn't mean it to, but still, Warren had promised!

"I'm sorry. I wanted to just in case. And it's the one night a year that I could carry it openly and not get any crap."

Kennedy shook her head, disappointed. "Warren..."

"I think I saved those guys lives, Kennedy. I shot that damn thing like five times. But it didn't stop it. It hurt it more than the popguns those commandos were using, though. Then the blaster got unstable and started to overload. When it was about to blow, I threw it at the monster."

Impressed that Warren actually had the presence of mind to do that, Kennedy said, "Not bad. Anybody get hurt by the blast?"

Warren shook his head. "I don't know. I had to make a run for it. I didn't want those guys asking me questions. Kennedy, what are those guys doing? I thought no one knew about this stuff?"

"I don't know, Warren."

"The stuff they're using is cutting edge. _Real Star Wars_ stuff." Warren pulled something from behind his back. "Look. I got one of them. Well, part of one. I think that monster ate the rest of it. I won't know how complete it is until I get it back to my lab. I..."

Kennedy interrupted him. "Let's get you back and cleaned up. No more adventures for you. You've been a big enough hero for one night."

Warren looked surprised, then pleased. An embarrassed grin stole across his face. "Me? The hero?"

Kenned threaded her arm through his. "Sure. You saved a bunch of lives at the risk of your own. Sounds pretty heroic to me."

"Kennedy?"

"Yeah?"

"Am I going to get the girl?"

"Don't push your luck, Warren."


	5. Chapter Five—Beer Bad, Margaritas Worse

**Chapter Five—Beer Bad, Margaritas Worse**

_The Initiative, 0800 Hours, Wednesday, November 1, 2000..._

Maggie eyed the group of young men around the conference table. All of Miller's capture team were here except one, who was currently in the infirmary. Damn. Their survival was going to make things... awkward.

Graham wearily pushed his hair back from his face. He looked around the conference table. "Hey, where's Bill?"

Maggie said, "Bill's getting checked out. I noticed his pupils had some odd dilation and sent him to Medical."

Graham nodded in a desultory way. He looked exhausted. Maggie thought he damn sure should be, especially since his team had managed to kill the damn things. She'd hoped for at least two casualties, but instead, because of the interference of 'Han Solo' and 'Sailor Neptune,' she didn't even have one. If she thought for a second she could get away with it, she'd process Bill right now regardless of his physical survival. Actually, it might make him an even better donor. Unfortunately, too many people knew he'd survived. Now I'm going to have to manufacture another incident to try to get my corpse, she thought angrily.

"All right, let me make sure I have the facts straight. You were on patrol checking out a low-level demon source when you came across a very powerful and dangerous Hostile whose distinguishing feature was extremely large genitalia." Maggie paused, waiting for the nervous chuckles to die down. "Your weapons were ineffective. You were getting beaten down when you were rescued by 'Sailor Neptune.'" This time, no one laughed, although there were a couple of embarrassed throat-clearings around the table.

Maggie continued, "She kills the Hostile and runs off into the night. Which you let her do. Then a couple of minutes later, another of the same species of Hostile shows up, possibly its mate. This time 'Han Solo' uses a blaster similar to yours but more powerful to hurt it badly. Then his blaster overloads and he uses it to destroy both Hostiles. In the resulting confusion, he gets away as well. Does that pretty much cover what happened?"

* * *

Riley stood to one side of the classroom not really listening as Professor Walsh droned on. Fortunately, the class was almost over. Then he would have a chance to talk to Kennedy. And maybe a certain other girl who had attracted his interest recently.

Ever since hearing about the fiasco that had happened on Saturday night, Riley had known that there was more than an even chance that Kennedy and her group were involved. Sailor Neptune and Han Solo. Riley could even see, in his mind's eye, who would have dressed as the two, remembering Kennedy's lesbianism and her tall, skinny friend's nerdism. The guy even had a blaster that day in the quad.

Riley shook off his thoughts and glanced at the clock. Very soon now. He focused on what the Professor was saying. "Now, does anyone have any questions about what is going on with the experiment?" She scanned the sea of hands. "If you have questions about the experiment, please see my TA after class. Riley will be happy to answer any and all questions."

Riley watched with a deer in the headlight look as the bell sounded, signally the end of class. With disgusted eyes, he watched the objects of his thoughts walk out of class one after the other while he was inundated with questions. Well, there was always Friday, he thought in amusement...

* * *

Warren stared at the pieces of the exotic taser. The design was elegant and obvious. Why hadn't he thought of it? Because I'm a moron, he thought bitterly. A complete fool. He slammed his hand into and through the drywall next to him, playing Russian roulette with the studs there.

The problem was that figuring it out was only half the battle. He'd easily designed a far better, more powerful weapon than the one in front of him, using elements of both his old design and this new one. Now he was one hundred percent magic-free. Although, already Warren could envision a weapon combining both elements that would be ten times as powerful as this one. Not that it mattered. Warren could no more afford the exotic electronics he needed to build either model, than he could completely satisfy Anya. He stared morosely into space for a long time before finally making a decision. Walking over to his desk, he opened the first drawer, where he pulled out a small, flat, black box with phone connections on both ends.

Warren took the box and fastened it inline with the phone and the wall jack. Picking up the receiver, he briefly listened to the dial tone. There was a strangeness to the sound from the scrambler he had just attached. Warren dialed a number from memory. The phone rang three times, then was picked up.

"Hello." The voice was flat and inflectionless. Actually, reflected Warren, it was exactly the same each time. Either it was the same guy every time, or they just trained their people to sound identical. Or, he mused, they had a voice synthesizer that made everyone sound alike.

"I need to speak to the Man."

"Call sign."

Warren hated this part. "Echo Alpha Tango Charlie Alpha Tango Papa Oscar Oscar." That sonuvabitch had one low sense of humor, he thought unhappily.

"Wait."

Warren sat listening to blank air for the next ten minutes. He was about to say fuck it, when a voice came on the line that was smooth as a snake oil salesman's. "It that you, Warren?"

"It's me."

"What do you have for me?"

"Plans for a wireless taser with two hundred and fifty thousand watts output. Estimated range fifty to eighty yards. You interested?"

"The Army's testing something like that right now. Why would I be interested? What's its effective current?"

Ah, so it was the military chasing down demons. "I know what they're testing. It's a quarter of the output of what I have here with less than half the range. Plus I have the costs down to under ten thousand per unit. I figure that's probably under a hundred thousand for you government types. Oh, and the current is forty-six amperes for up to ten _seconds_."

The voice brightened. "Well, well. I might be interested. What terms?"

"The usual."

"Agreed. I'll be by to pick up the package tomorrow. The usual place."

"Okay, I'll be there." With that, the line went dead.

Warren stared thoughtfully at the phone in his hand before hanging it up. So "Mr. Smith" was willing to drop fifty grand on his little toy. That would give Warren enough cash to finish a couple of prototypes with plenty left over to take Anya out. Even better, he could continue to play with the blaster. The nice thing about dealing with whatever shadowy alphabet agency "Mr. Smith" worked for was that they didn't demand exclusivity, just so long as you didn't sell it to a foreign power...

* * *

Kennedy was shaving her legs. While she wasn't any hairier than any other girl, she wasn't any less hairy either, which meant she had to shave on average every two or three days to avoid having stubble. Kennedy hated stubble. She had just finished with her left leg, but was less than halfway done with her right, when there was a knock at the door. "Veruca, can you get that?"

Only silence answered her. Great, Kennedy thought, Veruca was still asleep at 11:30 am. Granted she had a gig with her band last night, but then Kennedy had patrolled until 4:00 am, and had still been up by 8:00 am. Maybe werewolves need more sleep, Kennedy thought. It wasn't as if she knew any others.

The knock came again. Quickly grabbing her towel, Kennedy wiped the remaining soap off of her leg. She quickly headed to the door and opened it. Standing outside was a tall, slim blonde. She looked about Veruca's age, but she already was showing signs of a dissolute lifestyle as evidenced by puffy, bloodshot eyes and a sallow complexion. "Yes?"

The girl waved a quick hello. "I'm Sarah. Sarah Dunn. I'm Veruca's roommate. Is she here?" She walked past Kennedy into the apartment, looking around.

Kennedy thought the girl seemed pretty damn pushy. "It's nice to meet you, Sarah. I'm Kennedy. I'm also Veruca's roommate."

The girl turned, looking surprised. "She already found another roommate? Well, that sucks."

"What sucks?"

Sarah turned at the voice behind her. Kennedy saw Veruca standing there dressed in sleep shorts and loose t-shirt, looking half asleep still. Veruca caught sight of Sarah and smiled. "Hey, Sarah. How are you doing?"

"Hi, Veruca. Kenny was just telling me that she's your roommate. I guess you didn't waste any time filling my spot, huh?"

Veruca frowned. "Her name's Kennedy, and you know I can't afford this place without a roommate. I nearly got evicted. So don't give me any crap."

Sarah's face wore a faint smile. "I wouldn't do that, Rue. Still, what am I going to do for the next few days. I don't have a place to stay..."

Veruca sighed. "You want to stay here and sleep on the couch for a few days?" She ignored Kennedy's frantic head shaking from behind Sarah's back.

Great, Kennedy thought, now I have a bag lady camped out on the couch. Can this day get any worse?"

* * *

Kennedy tossed the last of the most recent batch of cave men into the van and locked it. Hopefully, whoever its owner and the owners of the other eight vehicles she'd used, wouldn't find out who trapped a bunch of drooling, peeing, and pooping cave men inside their pride and joys. Kennedy had been chasing the damn things all over town, catching up to them a few at a time for the most part.

It had taken quite a while to figure out what was causing it, but eventually Warren had recognized a couple of the pricks, despite their _One Million BC_ look. He had directed Kennedy to a bar called "The Pub" where they hung out most of the time. The owner had been a small, rotund man who had been tremendously bitter over being treated poorly by the various college kids who came in. So he had cursed an entire keg of beer. Kennedy had broken up him and his bar a bit to drive home the message to not do that again, then headed out to see if there were any more of them around.

So far with this group, she was up to thirty-three cave men corralled. At least they all seemed to be sleeping it off and should recover by tomorrow if the pub owner hadn't lied. There had even been a group involved in a fire at one of the local coffee shops, but that one had, at least, been handled before she got there. God, she hoped that was all of them. If so, she could head home and grab a shower...

* * *

"Geeze, Rue, where did all the loot come from?" Sarah asked, genuinely interested. It had been waaayyy cool playing Mario Kart on the big plasma television. And the couch that she'd spent the night before on was huge and comfy.

"Kennedy bought it all. She's pretty cool."

"I guess. What does she have, a rich daddy?" The vague stirrings of a plan crept through Sarah's head.

Veruca shrugged. "I don't know. I'm not sure how wealthy he is."

Sarah dropped it. The last thing she needed was to make Rue suspicious. Sarah made more small talk, but finally decided she needed to be alone. Sarah yawned elaborately, waiting for Rue to take the hint. After a moment, she said goodnight and went into her room, leaving Sarah alone in the living room. Kennedy was still out doing whatever. Or whoever. It seemed like the perfect time to check out her room.

Careful to be quiet, Sarah headed into Kennedy's room. She searched it meticulously, careful not to move anything out of place. She was mostly looking for a stash, but would settle for a stack of bills so that she could hit up her dealer. Unfortunately, Kennedy had nothing of that nature.

However, Sarah struck pay dirt a few minutes later in the bottom of Kennedy's underwear drawer. There were three documents inside a manila envelope. One was a state ID card from New York with the name Kennedy DaSilva. The other two were passports under the names Kennedy DaSilva and Kennedy Stallings. Kennedy's face stared back at her from all three documents. Sarah had never heard the name Stallings, but DaSilva seemed vaguely familiar.

DaSilva, Sarah thought. Where had she heard that name before? Then it hit her. The DaSilvas were a bunch of rich pricks from Westchester, New York. They were always being written up in "high society" magazines, sorta like the Hiltons, but classier. Kennedy could be a younger daughter or maybe a cousin. Then Sarah thought about the dresses she'd seen in Kennedy's closet.

Hurriedly, Sarah checked the closet again. She hadn't really been looking at clothes the first time she had gone through it, but now she was. Checking labels, Sarah realized there had to be at least fifty k worth of designer dresses in Kennedy's closet. So daughter, she thought numbly. Quickly, she put everything back where she'd found it. Then she headed back into the living room.

She grabbed the phone and placed a call. Getting the motel switchboard, she hit Jeff's room number. The phone rang and rang, but finally picked up. "What?"

Keeping her voice low, Sarah said, "Jeff, it's Sarah."

The voice was irritated. "What do you want, you stupid junkie bitch? I'm surprised you have the guts to call with what you owe me."

Sarah blinked back tears. Jeff could be so mean. "I got something for you."

There was skepticism in the voice now. "Right. Like I believe you."

Desperate, Sarah blurted, "It's the real deal. It's a rich girl that I'm staying with. Her family's loaded. And she's staying in an apartment with no security."

The voice grew interested. "You wouldn't be lying to me, would you, Sarah? How much we talkin' about?"

"Millions. They're richer than God. We might even get tens of millions. What do you think?"

The voice purred, "Well, baby, you and me need to meet up. What time can we get together tomorrow?"

Sarah calculated when both girls would be at class. "Come by at 10:00 am." She rattled off the address and waited for confirmation. After getting it, she hung up. Smiling, she thought, Jeff still loves me...

* * *

Cain was smiling. Only a couple more days in this rat hole town, then he could deal with the wolf. He'd searched her apartment a couple of days ago and she did have a cage. It would make killing her extremely easy. He'd have to work fast to get the skin off of her once he shot her. She'd change back as soon as the full moon set.

Thinking about it, it might be better to drug her and take her away so that he had all the time he needed to deal with her. Luckily, so far there hadn't been an appearance by Blondie or the local chapter of People for the Ethical Treatment of Werewolves. Cain chuckled quietly. He could certainly shoot a dart into a caged werewolf. He even had a tranquilizer rifle. Cain had taken the idea from Blondie and her group who had caused him so much trouble a couple of years back. He'd even used it to convince two different sets of parents that he was going to cure their kids. After he had taken off with them, he'd done the usual. Still, if he ran into Blondie again, he would have to thank her for her help...

* * *

Kennedy stared into her coffee cup, then yawned hugely. From across the table, Sarah asked, "Late night?"

Kennedy stared at the girl. There was just something off about her. But for Veruca's sake, she would try to be nice to her. "Yeah, kinda. I was running all over town last night." She went back to staring into her coffee cup, finding it more interesting that Sarah.

Sarah leaned forward. "So, what's his name?"

Kennedy looked up in confusion. "Huh?"

Sarah gave her a confiding look. "The guy who you were chasing all over town, silly."

"Sorry, but there wasn't a guy."

Sarah shrugged. "If you say so. It's just the only times I've been running around is having to check up on my man."

Kennedy felt amused. "Well, if I was chasing anyone, it would have been a girl. Dig?"

Sarah stiffened. "You're gay?"

Kennedy stared her down. "You against the lifestyle?"

"No no, it's just that I thought you would be into guys, being Veruca's roommate 'n all. She's a bit of a goer, if you know what I mean."

"Actually, I don't." Talk about the pot calling the kettle, Kennedy mused. Taking a look at her watch, Kennedy said, "Where's the time gone? I need to be in class soon. See ya." With that, she grabbed her pack and split.

* * *

Sarah seethed. That fuckin' dyke, she raged. How dare she rub my nose in it? First Kennedy ignored her, then she treated Sarah like she was lower class just because she wasn't taking classes. The capper was her flashing that damn expensive gold watch in Sarah's face. I hope Jeff gets here soon, she thought. Then we'll teach that bitch.

Sarah tried to watch TV for a while, but couldn't get into any of the shows. She was feeling the effects of her meth withdrawal, making her feel exhausted and angry. Also, a little paranoid. Finally there was a knock on the door. Running to open it, she saw someone unexpected...

* * *

"Oh, it's you."

Warren stared at the girl who answered the door. When had Sarah gotten back, he wondered? Warren hoped that didn't mean Kennedy was leaving the apartment. He'd hoped to catch her before she left for class today to show her his new blaster design. Warren decided to test the waters. "Hey, Sarah. I was wondering if Kennedy was here."

"She's out." The statement was said in a flat and sullen tone. Sarah wouldn't meet Warren's eyes.

"What about Veruca?"

"Rue's out, too."

Okay, Warren thought, she's being a major league bitch. He'd had a bit of a thing for Sarah last year before she had started taking on all comers. Basically, anyone who could hook her up with a fix. That had pretty much killed any attraction. Well, that and the way her looks had deteriorated from a succession of addictions. Warren considered it too bad because she'd been really hot at one point. For an instant, he felt ashamed of himself. Sarah was more than a piece of tail. She was...

"Want anything else? No. Bye." Sarah slammed the door in his face.

Warren stared in astonishment. What a scrag, he thought, anger burning inside of him, hot and filling. And he'd actually thought she was a person. No, she's just another slut who got what she deserved, he thought bitterly.

He headed back to his apartment. Anya was coming over soon. She said she had something to talk to him about, which was code for she wanted to screw his brains out. Not literally, thank God, or he would have the IQ of a pinhead. Just as Warren was about to step inside of his apartment, he saw something that froze him in place. A man was walking up the steps. Someone he recognized.

Hurried, Warren stepped inside. He turned and looked through the peep hole to see what was going on. The man stopped in front of Kennedy's place and knocked loudly. The door opened and he stepped inside. Warren didn't see anything after that, not that he needed to. Jeff Chaney. What the hell was he doing in Kennedy's apartment? He was more than bad news. Jeff was a drug-dealing piece of ass-excrement, Warren thought pithily. What the fuck did Sarah want with him?

* * *

Jeff smiled at Sarah. Stupid bitch, he thought, if she doesn't have something for me, I'm going to bust her up bad. Make that cow face of hers look even worse. "Hey, baby. What's going on?"

Somehow, he managed not to recoil when she threw herself into his arms. "Ooooh, Jeff, I've missed you so much."

Sarah kissed him several times. After a moment, Jeff eased back from her. He slowly walked around the living room. "Nice place. Why don't you tell me about the girl?"

Nervously, Sarah nodded. "The name on the lease is Kennedy Stallings, but her real name is Kennedy DaSilva. She's rich as God or at least her old man is. The DaSilvas are like the Hiltons, only wealthier, if you know what I mean. She..."

Jeff smacked his hand into the wall. Hard. "Why do you think she's a DaSilva?"

"I checked her drawers and found her IDs. She has a New York State ID card and a passport, both under Kennedy DaSilva. I also found this." Sarah held out a letter in a trembling hand.

Jeff snatched it from her. Unfolding it, he read:

__

Dear Ken,

I hope this finds you well. I know you felt like you had to leave with Reginald...

"What is this shit?" He wadded up the letter and threw it at Sarah. He almost laughed as she scrambled around on the floor after it.

Hurriedly, Sarah unwadded the paper, smoothing it back flat. "Look at the letterhead. That says Arthur DaSilva. That's the head honcho's nephew. And it's signed "Dad". So Kennedy's his daughter. She must be worth a fortune."

Interest stirred inside of Jeff. "Well, well, well. That does sound promising. Do we have an address for the motherfucker?"

Sarah nodded eagerly. "Right here on the envelope. See?" She held it up for Jeff to see.

Not bad, he thought. Not bad at all. Kennedy could be worth some serious bucks. "So what's your plan?"

Sarah looked momentarily unsure, then finally replied, "I think we should do this..."

* * *

Kennedy yawned as she trudged home. Classes had been uber boring today, especially psychology. Too bad, she thought. Maggie was smart as hell, but seemed to struggle to relate to her students. If she were just a little more personable, the class would be a whole lot better.

Kennedy paused at the bottom of the stairs. Music was booming ahead and above her. Oh, shit, I hope that isn't my apartment, she thought. With Veruca at band practice, that meant Sarah was there alone, possibly abusing those expensive speakers that Kennedy had bought. She slowly climbed the stairs to the second floor. As she reached the top, Kennedy ran into Warren and Anya. "Hey, Warren. Anya. How's it going?"

"Warren has been giving me lots of orgasms. Now we're off to go buy stuff so that I'll have more sex with him later," Anya matter-of-factly stated.

Wow, too much information, Kennedy thought. She watched with amusement as Warren nudged Anya. Finally, Anya reluctantly asked in a fake, perky tone, "How has your day been, Kennedy?"

Kennedy hid a smile. The girl really was strange. "It's fine. Thanks for asking."

Anya looked relieved. "Well, that's all I have to say. Come along, Warren." Anya grabbed Warren's arm and literally dragged the poor guy off.

Talk about whipped, Kennedy thought. She walked over to her apartment and opened the door with her key. Immediately, she was enveloped in sound with music blaring and the blender going at full speed. Walking in, Kennedy noted Sarah sitting watching MTV with the sound cranked up. If Sarah was sitting on her ass, then who was manning the blender and what was being blended? Kennedy wondered. She was hoping for something alcoholic and frozen.

Turning towards the kitchen, she was just in time to see a tall dark-haired man around twenty-five exit the kitchen holding three margaritas. He handed her one as he went by on his way to sit next to Sarah on the couch. He shouted over the music, "I'm Jeff, a friend of Sarah's. Drink up. Plenty more where that came from."

Kennedy was torn between amazement at the guy's chutzpah and anger that now she had another freeloader taking up couch space. Why the hell would Veruca invite another bum in? Or maybe Sarah did it. Oh, what the fuck, Kennedy thought. At least this one brought drinks.

Kennedy took a big sip of her margarita. It was a perfect blend of tangy and sour. "Not bad! Thanks for the drink!" She also had to shout to be heard over the music. Deciding that was enough, Kennedy walked over and grabbed the remote, turning down the music.

"That's better. I'm Kennedy, by the way. Nice to meet you, Jeff." Studying him, Kennedy wasn't too pleased with what she saw. While he was a nice looking guy with a great build, there was something cruel and dismissive about his eyes. And he obviously spent way too much time on his hair based on the amount of gel that shaped it.

"Nice to meet you, too. How ya enjoying good ol' Sunnydale?"

Sarah sat nervously twisting her hands together with her drink balanced between her legs. Kennedy watched as she finally reached down and picked up her drink, taking a small sip. Kennedy took a large drink of the frozen concoction, then answered, "It's okay. Kinda so so, if you know what I mean?"

Jeff nodded knowingly. "I get it. Wow, you're about done with that. Want another?"

Kennedy nodded. It took a lot more that a few margaritas to make a Slayer sloshed, she thought. "Yes, I do. Thanks."

"It's cool." Jeff grabbed his drink and headed back into the kitchen...

* * *

Jeff added the margarita mix, ice, and tequila to the blender. He quickly peeked to make sure Kennedy was still sitting. Then he grabbed a vial of GHB and poured half of it in the blender. With a considering look, he slowly added the rest. Might as well make sure she's out for a while, he thought.

He quickly finished blending the drink and went and grabbed Kennedy's cup, filling it to the top. Jeff took it back out and handed it to Kennedy, watching as she took another long sip. That's right, bitch, drink up, he thought maliciously. He took the opportunity to give her a quick once over. Not bad, he thought. A little flat-chested, but Kennedy had a nice ass to make up for it.

"So, when did you get here, Jeff?"

He shrugged. "A couple of hours ago. I had to look up Sarah here and make sure everything was all right."

"You two dating?"

"No."

"Yes."

Jeff gave Sarah a cold look, then realizing that he was playing her friend, toned it down. "Not really. We've dated, but that's about it."

Kennedy waved her hand, the gesture slightly jerky. Slurring slightly, she said, "Thash cool." She took another sip of the drink.

Jeff noted it was almost empty. Hell, he thought, I could have saved the GHB for another time at the rate she'd downing the alcohol. Jeff started to worry that Kennedy would drink too much alcohol, which combined with the double dose of GHB he'd given her, might put her into a coma or even kill the goose that laid the golden eggs. He reached over to take the glass from her, but she gave him a hard, if unsteady push, that made him stumble across the room.

Kennedy laughed. "Thash funny. Jefffsh, you're a funny funny guy."

Surprised and pissed off, Jeff steadied himself against a wall. You stupid little bitch, he thought. He stalked over to her and deliberately threw a hard right hook with his left hand to knock the little bitch out. To his utter astonishment, Kennedy casually ducked the blow, then kicked him in the chest like a pile driver, before falling on her ass, laughing uproariously.

Holy fuck, that hurt, Jeff thought, rubbing his chest. Quickly before Kennedy could get up, he kicked her in the head. At least he tried to. Kennedy caught his foot and tossed him back into the wall behind him, literally throwing him through space.

WHAM!

The entire apartment shook as Jeff hit the wall. Oh God, my back hurts, he thought. He managed to roll over onto his side in preparation to get up, when he saw Kennedy fall face down onto the floor. Behind her, Sarah stood, holding a heavy statue made out of some kind of dark stone. Staggering to his feet, Jeff walked over and grabbed the statue from Sarah. "You silly bitch, if you've killed her, I'm going to make you wish you'd never been born. Got that?"

Sarah's eyes filled with tears. "I was only trying to help you. You don't have to be so mean, you know."

"Shut up and go find something to tie her up with. Hurry!" He snapped the last word out, grimacing as Sarah raced away. Stupid junkie bitch, he thought scornfully. I can't wait until I can dump you along with Kennedy in a shallow grave somewhere.

Speaking of Kennedy, Jeff headed into the nearest bedroom and then into the bathroom. Grabbing a hand mirror from the vanity there, he took it into the living room and checked Kennedy's reflection in it. He was relieved that she had a reflection.

Tossing the mirror aside, Jeff dug into his pocket for his folder. Pulling it out, he gave a quick flick of his wrist and freed the blade. Picking up Kennedy's hand, he made a small cut on it. The blood that slowly oozed out was as red as his. Two for two, he thought absently.

"Sarah! Get your butt back here right now! And you'd better have something for me!"

Sarah raced back into the living room clutching something in her hands. A big roll of duct tape. Perfect, Jeff thought. "Great job, baby. Hand it here."

Sarah nervously handed it over. She was having the shakes. Gotta hate that meth withdrawal, Jeff mused as he started to wrap Kennedy's legs, winding duct tape round and around her feet, then again around her calves and finally around her knees. He didn't go higher since they'd need to pull her pants down for her to use the bathroom.

Jeff rolled her onto her stomach and started to tape her hands together, when he noticed it. Where was the cut he'd just made? There was a trace of blood on one hand, but no cut. With trembling hands, he pulled his knife back out and opened it again. Jeff cut Kennedy's hand again and sat back to wait.

"Ewww, what are you doing to her?"

"Shut it, slut," He replied absently, focusing on the girl in front of him. Within five minutes, the cut was closed and gone completely. "What the fuck? What are you, you little bitch?"

Sarah grabbed his arm. "What are you talking about, Jeff? Why did you cut Kennedy?"

Jeff shook his arm loose from Sarah's clutching hold. "I cut her to prove a point. The girl's not human. Not completely, anyway. I thought there was something wrong with her when she knocked me on my ass. Now I know there is."

Sarah eyed the unconscious girl nervously. "What is she? A vampire?"

Jeff rolled his eyes. What a cow, he thought. "No, dumbass, she has a reflection. And red blood. But she's strong as a ox, and fast, too. She also heals really quick. We're going to need to be very careful with her. You got that?"

Sarah's head bobbed up and down. "I got it, Jeff."

Jeff nodded in dismissal and went back to taping up Kennedy. He put dozens of layers of tape around her wrists, then did the same with her arms, winding the roll around and around Kennedy, until she had more gray on her than the original color of the clothes she'd worn. He eyed the result with satisfaction. "The fuckin' Hulk couldn't break that. Grab a blanket to wrap her in, Sarah."

A minute later, Jeff took the cheery blue comforter from Sarah and laid it on the living room floor. He carefully set Kennedy on one end of it and began rolling her up. When he was done, presto! No Kennedy. Instead, there was just a big, rolled up comforter.

"You pack that overnight bag for her yet?"

Sarah hesitated, then said, "Not yet, I was..."

Jeff pushed her towards Kennedy's room. "Move your ass. Fuckin' hell, it was your plan and you still didn't do it. I want to be out of here in five. Got it?"

Hurrying off, Sarah whined in her rabbit's voice, "Yes, Jeff..."

* * *

Warren waited at the corner of Jersey and Westside for his meeting. Half a block away, Anya sat in his Celica. She'd already honked the horn once and Warren had had to tell her to take a chill pill and not to call attention to them. Damn, he thought. After earlier, you'd think she would be patient _and_ relaxed. Warren was pretty sure she'd come at least seven times during the three times they'd had sex this morning. Seven times. That was four more than me, he thought smugly and more than a little enviously.

Actually, he couldn't blame her. He was just as nervous as she was impatient. Ever since high school the man that Warren was meeting had tried to recruit him. Warren hadn't wanted any part of the man's bullshit. There was just something about the guy's eyes that said he'd just as soon kill you as work with you. Still, when "Mr. Smith" had suggested a little quid pro quo after his graduation, emphasizing it with a envelope full of cash, Warren had agreed. In the intervening year and a half, Warren had sold four items to his organization, including an undetectable micro radio, a jet pack that used a rebuilt mower engine and two gyroscopes to lift up to two hundred and fifty pounds, a plan for a freeze ray, and some initial, crude plans for his android. In exchange, Warren had received two hundred thousand dollars, all of it tax-free.

And I've spend every dime of it, Warren thought glumly. He didn't wonder why Kennedy didn't have a clue how much money he'd spent on the gadgets with which he'd saved her life. After all, she wasn't much of a techie, other than doing a bit of surfing. Warren was surprised that Notty wasn't curious, though. The older man had struck him as nobody's fool. But if Notty had any suspicions, he was keeping them to himself for now.

Even Andrew knew that Warren had dropped big bucks on the things he'd made. It was one reason why he wasn't even more persistent in trying to obtain a blaster. The damn things cost almost four thousand dollars to make, with the new ones coming in at least twice that amount. Not a lot of money for the government, but for one Warren Mears, it was a bit pricey. For Andrew, who couldn't even afford issue number three hundred of the Amazing Spider-Man, it might as well have been the Hope diamond. He didn't have a prayer of being able to pay Warren back.

Thinking about Kennedy made him realize that he hadn't told her about Jeff. Shit! That worthless bastard was there with her. Well, him and Sarah. Despite Kennedy being the Slayer, Warren was still feeling uneasy...

"Do you have the disc?"

Warren jumped two feet in the air and barely stopped himself from screeching. "Don't do that, man!"

Smith gave him an insincere smile. "Sorry. You have the disc?"

"You _always_ do that!" Begrudging, Warren asked, "You have the money?"

Smith handed over a small satchel, which Warren quickly checked. Fifty thousand dollars in relatively crisp twenty dollar bills. Silently, he handed over the CD containing the design and specifications for the blaster.

"Thanks, Warren. You sure you don't want to work for us? It would be quite... lucrative. There's all kinds of perks working for Uncle Sam."

Warren shook his head. "I don't think so."

Smith's eyes were cold as he said, "If you get any more bright ideas, give me a call."

"Mr. Smith?" Warren had been dying to ask this the last six months.

"What?"

"How did the android work out?"

For a second, a brief look of disgust colored those cold eyes, then it vanished. "Let's just say that we aren't quite up to that level of technical expertise just yet. Maybe soon." With that, he turned and walked away.

Warren waited for him to head out of view, then walked back to the car. Getting in, he tossed the satchel over to Anya, who eagerly looked inside. She gasped in surprise. "Warren, how did you get so much money? You didn't do anything illegal, did you? You can go to prison until you're very, very old if you break the law."

Warren sighed. "No, Anya, I didn't break the law."

She eyed him suspiciously. Then she pulled several stacks of twenty dollar bills from the bag. "This is an awful lot of money for something honest."

Warren shook his head. "I sold them the design for the blaster."

Anya looked surprised, happy, then worried. "Kennedy is not going to be happy when she finds out."

"Screw her. It's my invention. I'll do what I want with it." Plus, what Kennedy doesn't know, won't hurt her...

* * *

Kennedy dreamed...

_With fantastic speed, she blocked the blow that would have decapitated her. Her riposte nearly did the same to the vampire in front of her. Behind him, she could see the portal slowly growing from Acathla. Then the sword was struck from her hands!_

As she knelt on the ground in front of the vampire, he mouthed words that she did not understand. Then he drove his blade right at her! With exquisite skill, she caught the blade between her hands, and thrust the hilt back into the vampire's face.

Racing to her sword, she grabbed it and began to flail away at the vampire, driving it back, wearing it down. Finally, it was disarmed and she prepared to destroy it. That's when it happened.

Some force went through the vampire. As he looked up at her, she recognized her lover staring back at her. Oh God, please no, she thought. Please, no. But it was him, the demon driven beneath again. She exchanged tender words with her confused lover, all the time knowing what she must do.

Staring momentarily at the still growing portal behind him, she told her lover to close his eyes, then told him she loved him. Lifting the blade, she drove it through the vampire's chest. He vanished into the portal, closing it.

Standing there, all she knew was pain. She'd lost her lover, her mother, her friends, her watcher, and her reputation today. There was nothing left to live for. Better to move on and see what the road holds...  


Kennedy woke, tears damp on her cheeks, the dream still filling her mind. That's when the reality of her situation overwhelmed her. Her head felt like it was about to burst. As did her bladder. She was wrapped in something that had almost no give and appeared to be unbreakable. That conclusion was based upon several minutes of flexing with all of her might. A gag filled her mouth and a blindfold covered her eyes. She was lying in a trunk, from the smells around her of old rubber, oil, and gasoline. There was something hard and metallic digging into her right shoulder blade.

What had happened to her? Kennedy concentrated on trying to remember. That was when it came to her. She remembered the margaritas, then the feelings as if the world were starting to spin and blur. It was a little like being really drunk, yet not. Then that guy, Jeff, had tried to hit her. She'd knocked him into next Tuesday, or thought she had. Afterwards, everything had gone black.

There was no point in trying to figure out her situation. It appeared on the surface to be a simple kidnapping. Hopefully, they weren't serial killers like that movie _Natural Born Killers_. If so, then she'd just have to try to do her best to survive.

Thoughts of the dream she'd just had filled her mind. Was it about the other Slayer here? Or another Slayer sometime in the past? The vampire who'd been her lover was dressed in very recent fashions. _Vampire who'd been her lover._ The thought made Kennedy ill, more at the idea than the execution. Killing him had hurt so badly. How had the other girl endured? Had the loss been what finally killed her? Made her give up?

Another thought that was slowly creeping around the edges of her mind was just how good the other Slayer was. She's way better than I am, Kennedy decided, disturbed at some deeper level. The other Slayer was so good, that Kennedy was actually worried about running into someone like that. Would the other girl kick her ass? She wondered how long the other had been the Slayer, as well as how long it had taken her to get that good. With grim determination, Kennedy made a promise to herself: If I survive long enough, I'll be that good or better.

One thing about the idea sent a shiver through her. Would she survive long enough to become that skillful? Thoughts of her fight with Spike crept into her head. He'd kicked her ass easily. It had only been her friends who'd saved her ass. Well, her friends and Riley. Would the next master vampire or especially nasty demon that came along kill her?

The trunk lid opened after about fifteen minutes, letting in blinding light. Kennedy furiously blinked back renewed tears at the blaze of light. Vague shapes above her resolved themselves into two familiar figures after a few seconds. Jeff and Sarah.

Jeff reached down into the trunk and grabbed Kennedy, lifting her with a grunt and throwing her over his shoulder. All Kennedy had was a view of his butt as he strode across into a warehouse-looking building. Then she managed to twist her head a little. Sarah followed behind them, looking worried to Kennedy's upside down vision.

Jeff carried her into a room off of a large space and tossed her down onto a bare and dirty mattress on the floor. Casually, he knelt down and slapped her hard across the face. "Listen up, bitch. You give us any trouble, and I'll cut your throat. Behave and you might just get out of this alive. So long as your old man comes through with the cash. Got that?"

Kennedy just stared back at him. Jeff made a fist and punched her in the stomach, doubling her up. "Answer me when I ask you something. Nod. Your. Fuckin'. Head." Kennedy nodded, more angry than hurt at the blows. After all, Jeff only put human strength behind them.

Jeff eyed her coldly. "Good. Now can he afford five million dollars?" Kennedy nodded again. He looked pleased. "That's good. Because I already Fed Ex'd him the ransom note and I asked for that much." He smiled, probably already counting his money. Then he became all business. "You need to pee?"

Kennedy nodded vigorously. Hopefully, he would release her and she could kick his ass. Jeff gave her a thoughtful look. Then he told her, "We're not unfastening you for even one second. I don't know what what the fuck you are and I don't care. But get this. You try _anything_ and I'll leave you here to piss and shit all over yourself. Understand?"

Kennedy slowly nodded. Then he bent over and picked her up, carrying her through the only other door in the room. It was a bare-bones bathroom with a simple toilet and shower. Jeff sat Kennedy down on the toilet lid and began to unfasten her pants. Kennedy jerked in surprise. What the fuck was he doing? She tried to squirm away.

He slapped her again. "Stop it, you silly bitch. What do you want? Sarah can't carry you in here. So you're going to have to make do with me. Don't worry, I've seen plenty of cunts in my time. Yours is nothing special." With ruthless efficiency, he pulled her unfastened pants halfway down her thighs, then sat her back down on the toilet.

Kennedy wasn't sure she would be able to go right in front of someone else. A male someone else. Then the sound of urine hitting the toilet bowl filled her with a sense of relief. As did the reduction of pressure in her bladder. She shuddered though as Jeff started to pull her pants and underwear back up without wiping her. It was disgusting, but on the other hand did she want him touching her?.

Jeff pulled her thong up, but stopped with her pants only halfway up. He casually ran his hands over Kennedy's ass. With a leer, he casually fondled her between her legs, holding her still as she tried to jerk away. Then he finished pulling her pants up. "That's to give you an idea of what you'll get if you give me any shit. I got the impression that you aren't to worried about getting hit. Maybe if I had a baseball bat, you'd feel differently. Since I don't and I'm not going to go find one, I need something to keep you in line, slut. So here's the thing. You get out of line with me or Sarah, and I'll show you how it feels to be had by a real man. Got it?"

Kennedy stared at him in horror. The fingers touching her ass and fondling her through her thong had filled her with a sense of helplessness for the first time. It made her feel weak and frightened.

Jeff shook his head and grabbed Kennedy's breast through her shirt, just above the tape, and painfully squeezing it. "I said that when I spoke, I wanted an answer." He released her and it was all she could do not to cower from him. "Do you get what I just said?"

Kennedy hurriedly nodded. He smiled with cruel satisfaction and turned her around. He picked her up in a bear hug and carried her the ten feet back into the other room. Setting her down, he pushed her over onto the mattress, laughing as she fell slightly sideways and hit the wall on the way down with her shoulder. He then knelt down and looped a piece of chain between her legs, fastening it to a heavy staple in the wall. Getting up, he silently walked towards the door, looking back only once.

As Kennedy lay where she'd fallen, she made a decision. Jeff was going to die, no matter what. Killing a human was forbidden, but she just didn't care. Rage swept away the feelings of fear and helplessness she'd had. The Slayer was going to make him wish he'd never touched her before she killed him. He was going to die so painfully...

* * *

Jeff walked over to Sarah, his stomach churning. She stared at him worriedly. "You hear what I told Kennedy?"

Jerkily, she nodded. He continued, "Good. I'm going out for a while. Don't touch her or go near her. Don't feed her or give her a drink."

Looking confused, Sarah shakily said, "But I thought you wanted me to feed her and stuff. What..."

"Don't even think about it. That was before we found out that she isn't human. For all I know, she could kill you and get away if you take the gag out. The girl's dangerous, so stay the fuck away from her. Understand?"

Sarah nodded hurriedly. Good, he thought. At least one bitch knows her place. He headed outside to get the car. He was going to get something to eat and drink. Especially drink. Sarah could eat the ravioli that they'd bought to feed Kennedy. And Kennedy could starve. That last look she'd given him from the the bed had chilled Jeff to the bone. It hadn't been human.

He'd used the threat of rape to keep the bitch in line, figuring an uppity slut like her would have lived a fairly sheltered life. At first, it had seemed to work. She'd looked like she was going to cry as Jeff had groped her ass and copped a feel of her twat. He'd actually been getting a little turned on and thought he might even try her out sometime in the next day or two if he got too bored.

Then, after he'd carried her back into the room and dumped her on the bed, he'd started to head out of the room. Right before exiting, he turned to catch her eye to emphasize his dominance. That's when he'd seen the look. There had been something utterly inhuman staring back at him. Anger so intense it had physical form had filled the room. It had shriveled his erection in his pants. Jeff would just as soon screw a vamp as Kennedy now. Shivering, he wondered what the fuck the girl was...

* * *

Sarah sat on the floor in the big warehouse, her arms hugging her knees. She now wished she'd never called Jeff. He'd treated her like dirt even since he'd shown up this morning. He'd belittled and ridiculed her at every turn. Sarah didn't know what she'd done to stop him loving her, but there was no point in trying to pretend. Jeff hated her now.

Sarah had heard what he'd threatened Kennedy with. She imagined the girl lying on the bed in the other room, not knowing if she was going to live or die. Not knowing if the next sound she heard was going to be Jeff coming back to make good on his threat. Despite how angry Sarah had been at Kennedy earlier, she couldn't help but feel sorry for the girl.

Feeling sick and nauseous, Sarah wished more than anything that she had a hit of meth. Or horse. She'd even settle for some weed, which at least might help make her feel less ill. However, Jeff hadn't given her anything. He'd said it was because he needed her clear-headed for the remainder of the time they held Kennedy and couldn't afford her getting paranoid and even more strung out.

Sarah could almost see his point. She was in the last stages of withdrawal now. The worst was over. It was just like when she'd been locked up a few months ago for shoplifting. She was mostly clearheaded. Clearheaded enough to realize that Jeff wasn't going to share the ransom with her. He was going to rip her off. And because she was the only link between him and Kennedy, he might even go further. He might decide to get rid of her.

Fuck, I'm getting paranoid, Sarah told herself. But she wasn't. Not really. It had a kind of painful logic that tore away at her sense of self-worth. Why keep a junkie around when you could hit her over the head and leave her in any of a dozen Sunnydale alleys to be dealt with by the local nightlife. Sarah was under no illusions as to what existed in her hometown. She'd seen too much of what others ignored, like sheep who didn't want to know that they were being slowly culled by wolves. It had driven her parents to leave town for San Francisco after her younger brother died.

So Jeff would try to kill her and probably succeed. He'd rape and kill Kennedy as well. Then he'd pocket his millions and go live in some tropical paradise far away from here. Or maybe go to Paris and live the high life there. Sarah wasn't sure, but decided at that moment that she didn't want to die. She also didn't want to be part of killing someone else. She wanted more than anything else to just go home. To find her parents and just be their little girl again.

Sarah got to her feet. She headed for the warehouse's exit, then stopped. If she just left, Kennedy would be helpless. Not just from Jeff, but from what else prowled the town. That what else might come in here anytime after dark. And Kennedy would die.

Sarah slowly turned and walked back towards the room that Kennedy was in. Entering, she saw the girl laying on her side on the bed, her back to the wall, facing the door. Fierce eyes glared up at Sarah. Dangerous, glittering eyes. Sarah almost retreated, almost ran from the room. Those eyes scared her worse than Jeff did. Maybe Kennedy wasn't as helpless as she thought? But if she could've gotten loose, she already would have.

Slowly, tentatively, Sarah approached the girl. She knelt down on the mattress next to her. Pulling the grimy gag, a balled-up athletic sock, out of Kennedy's mouth, Sarah asked her, "Do you have any money on you?"

Kennedy stared at her bitterly. "Why? So you can rob me while your friend rapes me?"

Sarah flinched. "No. If you give me money, I'll help you." And you'll help me, she thought.

Kennedy looked hopeful, then sagged. "I don't have any cash on me, only a credit card. Look, let me go and we'll hit an ATM together. I'll give you however much money you want. I'll..."

"Wait. Let me think." Sarah thought about it. A credit card could be traced. But if she only used it to grab a quick meal and a bus ticket to San Fransisco, she should be pretty safe. "Okay, give me the credit card."

Kennedy gave her a disillusioned look. "It's in my back pocket."

Sarah felt around and finally found the slim card. It was a platinum VISA. No photo ID on it, thank God. Otherwise, it would have been useless. She would be able to easily use this to get out of here.

"So, you're going to let me go now?" Kennedy's question hung in the air between them, a challenge thrown in Sarah's face.

Sarah looked away from the girl and chewed her lip. She could just leave. No one would know. Not for sure. Even if the police came by later, she could just claim ignorance. And if she didn't release Kennedy, Jeff wouldn't be out to get her. Sarah felt fear so intense it made her nauseous at the idea of Jeff actively trying to find her to get revenge. But she couldn't do that. She just couldn't leave without doing something.

Grabbing the grimy sock, Sarah hurriedly stuffed it back in Kennedy's mouth, ignoring the sounds she made. She got to her feet, the headed out of the room. Searching, she quickly found what she was looking for...

* * *

That goddamned stupid little junkie whore, Kennedy thought, raging against her restraints. She added Sarah's name to Jeff's on her list. She would kill the girl as painfully as anyone had ever died in the history of the world. Then Kennedy's thoughts lurched to an almost painful stop as Sarah came back into the room clutching a piece of glass.

The girl talked almost to herself as she knelt down next to Kennedy. "Jeff won't know where the glass came from. He'll think you somehow got it. He won't know it's me. He won't." She looked so scared as she chanted her litany, that Kennedy almost felt sorry for her. Almost.

Kennedy watched as the girl ran the glass in a sawing motion across the duct tape on the left side of Kennedy's body, exposed by the way she lay. It wasn't having much effect, but it was better than nothing. Finally, it cut through the outer layer of duct tape. After a few more minutes of sawing, it cut through two or three more. Then Sarah stopped and tossed the glass to the floor. Kennedy made noises through the gag in her mouth to try to get her attention.

Sarah looked at her, then looked away. "I'm sorry, but I can't let Jeff know it was me. If I thought you would kill him and leave me alive, I'd let you go. But you don't look like a killer to me. And if I'm wrong, I don't want to die. So, I gotta get out of here before he gets back. Those cuts should give you a head start. Make sure to lay on your other side so that Jeff doesn't see them."

Sarah turned and started to go. Short of the door, she stopped again. "I hope you don't die, Kennedy. I'm sorry." With those final words, she fled.

Kennedy heard her rapid footsteps heading away from her. What was she going to do now? Grimly, she decided to try to get loose. Was there just a little give now in her cocoon? Kennedy began the slow, tedious task of trying to tear the tape holding her.

_The next morning..._

Riley stood at the entrance to class, hoping that Kennedy would come in early enough that he could talk to her a second before class started. But as more and more students trickled in, with a chorus of hellos and good mornings, he still didn't see Kennedy. The bell rang, signally class was starting. Riley shut the doors to the room, wondering where Kennedy was. Maybe it was time to track down her home address...

* * *

Notty sat at his dining room table, sipping tea and eating a bagel for breakfast while perusing the morning papers for unusual events. So far, it appeared to have been a quiet night. So why hadn't Kennedy called as she usually did after patrol? Then the phone rang and he sighed with relief.

"Kennedy, I'm glad you..."

"Notty!" The explosive sound of Arthur DaSilva's voice over the line made Notty instantly wary.

"What is it, Arthur? What's happened?"

"I received a ransom note this morning, Notty. Kennedy's been kidnapped."

Notty paused, the very absurdity of what Arthur DaSilva had just said throwing him off-balance. Kennedy kidnapped? For God's sake, by whom? And why? "What are they asking for, Arthur?"

"Five million dollars. I don't care about the money, Notty, you know that. I just want Kennedy back. What do you think I should do?"

Notty stated in a voice as cold as death, "Get the money together. Don't pay the ransom until you talk to me. Don't call the police and don't call anyone else. Are we clear, Arthur?"

Arthur whispered, "Yes." Then in a slightly stronger voice, he asked, "What are you going to be doing?"

"I will find whoever took Kennedy. Then I will make them regret it for the remainder of their remarkably short lives. Call me when you have the money." With that, Notty hung up the phone.

He immediately picked it back up. He would call together this group that Kennedy had assembled. They would help him get his... Slayer back. Then he would deal with the walking dead man who took her...

* * *

Arthur DaSilva slowly hung up the phone. He'd planned to call Lou Cipriani as soon as he had finished talking to Notty, but now changed his mind. Notty's warning had been about calling Lou, that he was sure of. Recalling those cold pale eyes in that patrician face, Arthur didn't know who he would back in a fight between the two.

Actually, both men were hewn from the same material. Cold-eyed, dangerous men, they faced the world with a confidence born of an absolute ruthlessness that frightened lesser men. Arthur acknowledged himself to one of those men. Both Lou and Notty made him aware that he was no match for them. Although of the two, Arthur actually thought he'd rather face the mobster than the man who taught his daughter. The man who faced down more dangerous things than mobsters.

Arthur DaSilva wasn't stupid. He was aware that recently something had changed with Kennedy. She'd always been a wild, rambunctious girl, but in the previous few months before she'd left, her energy had been ridiculous. She'd been out all hours of the night, only coming home to fuel up and sequester herself alone with that man. Thus had the months passed until the day she left.

Maids brought Arthur reports of blood and other less savory fluids on her clothes. The one time he had tried to approach Notty about the situation, the other man had given him a look of pity before saying, "Arthur, you really don't want to know about this. We both know that. So stop asking questions when you are not ready for the answers. If you ever get ready for them, come talk to me."

Arthur had stopped asking. He tried to just love his daughter. He thought that he had succeeded, at least somewhat, in communicating that to her. Then she'd left, only to pop back up in Sunnydale, California. Who knew what she was doing there besides spending money. Sighing, Arther picked up the phone to call his banker. "Bill, I have a request to make..."

* * *

Notty stared at the circle of young faces surrounding him. They all looked blank as if they couldn't process what he had just said. Finally, Warren asked, "When you say kidnapped, do you mean like really _kidnapped_?"

That was the last straw. "I mean she was abducted. Kidnapped. Held for ransom. Someone has her and wants five million dollars to let her go. Is there anyone that doesn't understand what I just said?"

Andrew exclaimed, "But how could Kennedy be kidnapped. She's like a Jedi Knight."

Warren shook his head. "Dude, Jedi get kidnapped."

"No, they don't!"

"Yes, they..."

"Enough." That one word was laden with as much menace as he could put into it. From the paling faces around him, that was enough. "Here's what we are going to do. Warren, you and Anya are going to that demon bar with your taser and get information from that sleazy bartender. Veruca, you are going to that Wicca group. They are meeting again today and there might be an actual magic user among them. Try to see if any of them can cast a location spell. Take something of Kennedy's with you."

Veruca hesitated, then said, "Notty, I had this girl staying with me, my old roommate, Sarah. She's split and didn't say goodbye. She might be involved."

Notty gave her an icy look. "For your own sake, you'd better hope you're wrong." Calm down, he told himself, as the girl's face crumpled, you're damaging the group's morale. "Veruca." She looked at him, obviously worried he was going to tear into her again. "Please forgive me. I was out of line. I'm just worried about Kennedy." She nodded quickly, but looked much less stressed.

Notty questioned her, "Now is there anything about Sarah that would make you worry about her involvement?"

Veruca hesitated, then answered, "She's a junkie and always desperately short of cash. She also knows some bad people."

"How bad?"

"Bad enough that I wouldn't want to hang around them unless I was in wolf form."

Notty didn't need to have it explained any further. Almost certainly Sarah was involved in some manner. She...

Andrew interrupted his train of thought, eagerly asking, "What am I going to do?"

Bugger. "You're going back to school."

Andrew looked like he was going to cry. "Why? Why can't I stay and cast a spell? I could summon a hellhound to find her."

"Could you control it after you summon it?" Don't ask for something you're not ready for, boy, Notty thought coldly.

Andrew hesitated. "Well..."

Notty shook his head. "You can come back after school." To the others, "Well, what you are all waiting for? Go! Hurry!" Find me something that I can use to hunt these bastards down, he raged.

The others scattered. Then it was just him and Andrew. He gave the boy a considering look. "Andrew, if worse comes to worse, I might just let you cast that spell."

The boy looked at him with an expression that said he wasn't sure if that's what he really wanted or not. Too bad, Notty thought. If he couldn't find Kennedy by conventional means he had no problem with sacrificing the most useless member of their group. No problem at all.

* * *

Warren drove as fast as he thought he could get away with. Anya complained, "If we die before we get there, there won't be anyone to ask Willy about Kennedy."

"Willy?"

Anya shrugged. "The bartender that Notty sent us to roust."

Warren stared at her. "How exactly do you know that?"

"He was willing to serve a minor."

There was something more, something unsaid, which Warren wasn't sure he wanted to know. Then they were there. Thank God he'd had time to spend some of the money he'd gotten yesterday on parts. He'd spent most of last night, between bouts with Anya, putting the blaster together. Unfortunately, it was still untested. But it _should_ work.

Stepping into the dimly lit bar, Warren shuddered at the clientele, which seemed to be mostly vampires and demons, with a handful of hard-faced men scattered here and there. He headed for the bar with Anya beside him.

"What'll ya have?" The bartender, Willy, asked. Sheesh, Warren thought, could the guy be anymore of a stereotype. He even looks like a rat, he thought.

Anya put her hands on the bar. "Information."

Willy looked nervous. "What information?"

"Do you know where Kennedy is?"

Willy looked surprised. "Why would I know or want to know where the Slayer is?"

Warren stepped in. "Let me, Anya." To Willy, he said, "I want to know anything you know about a plot to kidnap Kennedy."

Willy started to reply, then apparently saw something over Warren's shoulder. "I won't answer any questions for anyone working for the Slayer. Get lost!"

A heavy hand fell on Warren's shoulder. He turned and looked up. And up. Finally he saw the face of the demon whose hand was on his shoulder. It was at least eight feet tall and built like a tank. It rumbled, "You work for the Slayer? I hate her! She killed my littermate one year ago."

Warren shrugged the hand off. "That wasn't Kennedy. That was some other Slayer."

"I do not believe you, human. I will crack open your marrow and divine with it to see if you are telling the truth."

"Ragnark?"

Warren looked over at Anya. "You know this guy, Anya?"

Ragnark seemed to recognize her at that moment. "Anyanka? Is it you?"

She preened. "Yep, it's me. How are you doing? Still hiring out?"

Ragnark swelled up in pride. "You are looking at one of the most sought after mercenaries in this hemisphere."

"Well, that's just wonderful. I know you were really hoping for something like that when you came here back in fifty-nine."

"Yes, it has been good for me. Anyanka, can it be that _you_ work for the Slayer."

Anya shook her head. "No, but my boyfriend does. I'm just here because of him. And, well, to get a drink."

"So he does work for the Slayer. I am sorry, Anyanka, but I am going to have to kill him."

Warren slowly edged the blaster out from under his jacket. He turned the dial up to its highest setting. The new design went all the way from knock out a person to... who knows. It's not as if he had a chance to test it.

Anya asked, "Are you sure? Cause we could just go."

Ragnark rumbled, "You can go, Anyanka, in light of the fun you and I had together those many years ago. But this one stays and I crack his bones for marrow."

Anya scornfully said, "Like you could actually use that for divination. You're just hungry, aren't you?"

Ragnark looked abashed. "Well, yes. And Willy's doesn't carry any snack food these days. So say goodbye to your friend, Anyanka."

He started to turn towards Warren. That's when Warren raised the barrel of the blaster to waist level and snarled, "_You_ say goodbye, tall and gruesome." He pulled the trigger. Bzzzzzttttzzzzpppp! Immediately, a blast of white lightning so bright that it hurt his eyes burst from the weapon and hit the demon right in the crotch. The creature shook and shuddered, frozen in place. The greasy smell of cooked meat began to permeate the air. When Warren took his finger off the trigger after ten seconds, the demon just fell over, his body smoking. He looked completely cooked. Now, that is what I can a blaster, Warren thought with pride.

"Wow, I think it's dead," Warren said, feeling a sense of satisfaction as he eyed the huge corpse.

"Warren, let's get out of here." Anya was edging towards the door.

Looking at what was bothering her, Warren saw the entire roomful of demons and vamps getting up from their tables. Fuck that, he thought. That was two huge demons he'd killed with his tasers now. He swung the barrel towards the nearest vampire and pulled the trigger. Bzzzzzttttzzzzpppp! The blast blew a hole right through the vampire's chest, turning it to ash. Warren swung the blaster back towards the others. "Everybody back! Or you get what he got!"

All movement stopped. Then it began to reverse as if a film was being run backwards. After a few seconds, everyone was seated. "Now we can go." Taking Anya's arm, Warren headed out of the bar.

As they reached the car, he started to release Anya's arm. She grabbed his hand. She gave him a smoldering look. "That was just so... manly. I'm feeling suddenly all warm. Let's have sex in the car. Right now."

Warren's mouth gaped. Holy shit, he thought. "Umm, Anya, have you seen my car? Plus it's broad daylight."

She just looked at him, then slowly licked her lips. "So?"

Warren looked at her, looked at his car, then looked around. What the fuck, he thought...

* * *

Veruca found the group of pagans easily. You just had to look for all the henna tattoos, she thought smugly. She stopped for a sec and listened to them arguing about a bake sale. Jesus Christ, what a bunch of losers. She walked up and addressed the group. "Any of you know magic?"

They all turned towards her, mouths gaping. Finally one of them pointed an accusing finger at Veruca. "How dare you unearth that ancient stereotype. Just because we believe in our connection to the goddess, doesn't mean we are witches. I mean, grow up. Like magic's real." This last was said scornfully.

Veruca gave her a dangerous look that made her shut up. The wolf was starting to rise within her, sensing the nearness of the moon tonight. It made her feel strange and ferocious. Aggressively, Veruca leaned forward. "Look Wicca-girl, I don't want to be here. I think I'm wasting my time. But my friend, Kennedy, is missing. So I need someone to cast a location spell on her. If you can't help, then... Go. Fuck. Yourself. Dig?" With that, she actually snapped at the girl, her teeth clicking shut a few inches from the girl's face.

The girl's mouth opened and closed like a fish. Then like Veruca had given a signal, the other Wiccans scattered. That's just great, she thought. I manage to drive away what might be Kennedy's only chance. Then a timid hand touched her sleeve.

"D-d-did you say K-k-kennedy's missing?" The speaker was a medium sized blonde girl whose bangs hid part of her face. She looked shy and very awkward.

Veruca nodded impatiently. "Yes, I did. She's been kidnapped."

"H-h-have you called the p-p-police?"

Veruca shook her head. "We can't. I can't tell you why. Look..." Veruca realized that she didn't know the girl's name.

"T-t-tara."

"Look, Tara..." Why was that familiar? Then Veruca remembered the girl who had introduced Kennedy to Michelle. "Kennedy mentioned you to me once. Anyway, I gotta go. I need to figure out something to help Kennedy." Veruca started to turn and leave.

"I can do it."

Veruca stopped, confused. "You can do what?"

Tara met Veruca's eyes squarely for the first time. "I can cast the spell."

* * *

Kennedy had been trying all day to break the damn tape, but she hadn't made much progress. The sun had set a few minutes ago, but there had been no sign of Jeff or Sarah. I hope Veruca's tucked away safe and sound in her cage, she thought absently. The last thing she needed was to have to hunt her down again. That's when Kennedy heard it. A faint scraping sound. She froze, completely still, even slowing her heartbeat as she listened. Someone was here. Someone or something. That's when she saw it. Two blazing eyes in the darkness. The eyes of a vampire. And it was heading her way...


End file.
